Ai No Ejiki
by Suki No Hikari
Summary: Bakura hates Ryou because he’s weak. Ryou hates Bakura because of his beatings. But when one of Bakura’s beatings get serious and Ryou goes blind, the only one he can trust to be his eyes is Bakura. Can love overcome hate? BR Shounen-ai! FINAL CHAPTER
1. Consumed

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters (unless they're my own). If you sue me... well, okay don't please. ;; can't think of any good threats Meh.  
  
Summary: Bakura hates Ryou because he's weak. Ryou hates Bakura because of the beatings. The enmity is mutual. But when one of Bakura's beatings get serious and Ryou goes blind, the only one he can trust to be his eyes is Bakura. But will they be able to stand each other? Bakura/Ryou  
  
Warning: This fanfiction is SHONEN-AI or male X male content. If you cannot handle this type of thing, then please leave now. Don't flame me about it, because YOU WERE WARNED. Thanks .  
  
Background Info: Bakura and Ryou no longer live in Domino (they live in a suburb of Osaka), nor are they in contact with Yugi-tachi.  
  
On with my story!  
  


Title: Ai No Ejiki  
(Victim of Love)  
By: Suki No Hikari  
Rating: PG-13 (for naughty words)  
  
######  
  
Chapter One: Consumed  


  
  
Bakura sat resting by the television set on a lazy Saturday afternoon. He was currently waiting for his lunch, which Ryou had gone out to buy a while ago. Bakura never really wondered why he still lived with such a weakling but he really had nowhere else to go. Not to mention the constant entertainment he received by watching himself take out his anger on the white-haired teen. So, after his small musings, he decided he would leave his hikari at some point in time, but he'd wait until he was used to the twenty-first century.  
  
"Bakura, I have the pizza!" Ryou screamed as he opened the door to the house. The two teens were normally on semi-friendly terms when Bakura wasn't angry at anything or Ryou. However, whenever there was a discrepancy of any kind, that's when the vice would come out ten-fold.  
  
"Hm," came Bakura's intelligent reply as he slowly removed himself from the couch and headed for the kitchen. Ryou had bought Bakura's favorite, pepperoni; otherwise, one of those 'discrepancies' would tend to pop up. Basically meaning, he had to get what Bakura wanted, when and how he wanted it or he would be punched in the jaw. Or the stomach. Or wherever. So he put up with it because, quite frankly, (and he admitted this to himself easily) he was too puny to hold his own against Bakura.  
  
"So how many slices do you want?" Ryou requested politely, trying to hold back any signs of hatred for his significant other. Yes, Ryou despised Bakura. Surprising? I don't see why considering how many times that he is abused by the yami (AN: Unlike other fanfictions that mysteriously have Ryou loving Bakura because he is beaten up by him cough cough Anyway...). Ryou knew that ever since his father died (and when Bakura got his own body), that he'd have to put up with the beatings every time Bakura became annoyed with him. Which was about every day. Figures.  
  
Bakura didn't answer his hikari and simply helped himself to four pieces of the pizza. Ryou stopped himself from saying the words at the tip of his tongue and grabbed two pieces for himself. It wasn't completely obvious, but ever since the two moved from Domino and away from Yugi-tachi, Ryou had changed considerably. He no longer was so full of smiles (not real ones at least) or filled with as much happiness. Come on, if you were beaten to a bloody pulp every night, would it be easy for you to be constantly happy?  
  
The day passed by peacefully after lunch was over. Bakura remained content with the video games that he played day in and day out while Ryou sat on the couch with some type of book or manga, occasionally taking a peek at what level Bakura was on, etc. It was quite cold in the house (since Bakura had broken the heater a while back) so a small fire was going on the other side of the living room. Nothing was wrong. Nothing was making Bakura mad. Nothing could spoil Ryou's day because...  
  
...nothing bad happened until night. Little did Ryou know, this night would change the way he would view the rest of his life. Literally.  
  
  
  
"Well isn't this fun, little hikari?" Bakura demanded maliciously as he punched Ryou in his side. Ryou, eyes watering, tried to hold in the tears that were demanding to come and nodded his head swiftly. Bakura frowned and threw his hikari to the ground.  
  
"Don't nod your stupid ass head at me! If you're having fun, you apparently aren't feeling enough pain!" Bakura kicked him. Numerous times. He finally thrust him to the other side of the room and smirked. Ryou, who was lying limp in the corner of the room next to the fireplace, tried to stand up.  
  
"Trying to get up, weakling? Well I'll just have to make sure that cannot happen." Bakura then spotted the fireplace, little flames still there but mostly it was just hot ashes. "Or is there something better I can do?" Bakura gave out a vicious laugh.  
  
Ryou, who had seen Bakura's line of sight, desperately attempted to get up. He didn't know what exactly Bakura was going to do, but the last time he laughed like that, Ryou ended up in the hospital with a compound fracture in his knee (AN: Compound fracture - where the bone breaks so badly it comes out of the skin... something like that). Ryou then realized that his father had also still been alive back then and able to take him to the hospital. If something terrible happened, would he survive long enough to call 911? Would Bakura hurt him that bad? Or worse, would... would Bakura kill him? Ryou tried not to think like that and concentrated on standing up.  
  
Bakura moved quickly over to the fireplace, seeing his hikari's attempts to escape him. Not caring that he might burn his hand, Bakura picked up a fistful of hot, red coals and ashes. Ryou, who was not fully up yet, fell back to the ground after Bakura gave him another good kick to his ankle. Now Ryou could look straight up at his sinister-looking yami. Bakura laughed to himself as his hand full of coals began to move over his hikari's body.  
  
The next thing Ryou knew, he felt hot, searing pain all over his face. Bakura had dropped his handful of goodies on his head. Bakura granted Ryou one last kick before he stomped out of the room, clearly satisfied with himself.  
  
Ryou tried to stand up, this time succeeding, and scraped the burning ashes from his face. Afraid to open his eyes just yet (some had fell into them), he navigated as best he could to the nearest bathroom, limping the entire way. After hitting the living room table and one of his chairs, he finally found the hallway. Feeling along the right side of the wall, he found the door to the bathroom and rushed in. Ryou turned on the sink and splashed some cold water onto his face. There weren't many burns on his cheeks or his mouth by what he could feel. The worst had been on his nose, eyes and forehead. Still not opening his eyes, he briefly felt around his hair for signs of a flame. After finding none, he seized some more water and rubbed it around his eyes.  
  
Finally, after most of the unpleasant pain had subsided, he opened his eyes. Or so he thought he had. Everything was still black. Ryou, confused, reached up to touch his eyelids. Yep. His eyes were definitely open... but why couldn't he see anything? A rush of panic coursed through his body and something clicked in his mind. Was he...? Ryou, scared half to death, could only stutter out,  
  
"I-I can't... I can't... s-see!"  
  
######  
  
Like it? Loathe it? LOVE IT? hopeful Tell me! Drop a couple reviews and hopefully I'll continue soon. Sorry the first chapter was kind of rushed but that's how I like my stories (especially since they would have like fifty chapters otherwise). I'm warning everyone ahead of time – the next two weeks are being completely spent studying for exams. I get out of school on June 10th so I'll probably update this story that weekend. Well, that's all I have for now! Please review because it will make me truly happy. =D  
  
3 Suki No Hikari 3  
  
P.S. Yes the chapters will get longer! 


	2. Consolation

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. If I did, then it wouldn't be a show about some weird game (no offense). Hmmm… I'm picturing the population of rabid shonen-ai fangirls taking over… muahahaha.

Well, I took a day off school today because my mom said I could (;;;;) and so I'm at home with nothing to do! Oh, but yes, now I have found something! You know that little thing I said about not updating until finals are over? Well, since I have the day off, YAY! Updating time!

IMPORTANT NOTES: First things first, I have a couple changes to my original story background information. In this chapter, Ryou DOES get in contact with Yugi-tachi (for the first time). Technically I said that they weren't in contact, but I re-thought my plot lines a little bit and this may help (you'll see why). Also, there will be hints of Yami Yugi/Yugi in this chapter. But I don't like this couple that much (too overdone) so I won't put obsessive amounts in. Last thing is that between Bakura and Ryou (for now) their mind link is completely cut off. If I do use a mind link for any reason, this is how it would look: (I don't plan to that much)

"Spoken words"

''Thinking'

/Hikari to Yami/

/Yami to Hikari/

Well, that's all I can think of now! Here's my MUCH LONGER chapter two!

(Hyper because she's listening to a POTC background theme from her CD… ahhh Jack Sparrow 3)

Note: Yugi-tachi are all around 17 years old now and it is summer break (no school).

####

Title: Ai No Ejiki  
(Victim of Love)

Author: Suki No Hikari Rating: PG-13 (for potty mouths)

Recap: After most of the unpleasant pain had subsided, he opened his eyes. Or so he thought he had. Everything was still black. Ryou, confused, reached up to touch his eyelids. Yep. His eyes were definitely open... but why couldn't he see anything? A rush of panic coursed through his body and something clicked in his mind. Was he...? Ryou, scared half to death, could only stutter out,  
  
"I-I can't... I can't... s-see!"

#######

Chapter Two: Consolation

Ryou slid down the side of the sink and buried his face in his hands. Tears welled up in his eyes and anger started to surge inside his heart. _'Bakura…what an asshole! How could he do this to me?' _Ryou began to cry to himself softly._ 'What am I going to do? I need to get to the hospital...' _Ryou thought about the possibility of Bakura leading him there but the chances were limited. Very limited. 'Well, couldn't hurt trying, right?' Ryou rubbed his eyes dry. '… well okay, I could get beat up even more but... what else can I do?'

Ryou, drawing up all his courage, stood up and began finding his way to Bakura's room (which used to be his father's). He felt along the walls until he ran into the first step of the staircase. Ryou climbed onto the first step and used the handle bar on his right to support his weight as he searched out the rest of the steps. Once he was finally upstairs, he didn't have to walk far to Bakura's room, since it was the first room on the right.

The door was closed, or so he could feel, so he gave a small knock and entered without waiting for an answer. He couldn't see where Bakura actually was, but he Ryou's bet was that he currently might be sleeping. Not knowing what else to do, Ryou called out his name softly.

"What do you want?" Bakura snarled. "Because I'm trying to sleep, unless you want another face full of ashes."

"Bakura…" Ryou started in a timid voice. "I –err.. umm…"

"Spit it out, damnit!" Bakura growled. Ryou took a deep breath.

"I can't see! I think I'm blind!" Ryou desperately admitted, noticing right away how stupid his confession sounded. Bakura snorted and Ryou could tell that he shifted his weight on the bed. _'I hope he's not getting up… lord, I hope he's not getting up!'_

"So? Thank you for sharing that completely useless knowledge with me but I really do not give a shit," Bakura replied. He didn't know exactly what being 'blind' meant but the whole concept of not being able to see was pissing him off. _'That weakling is just asking me to punch his face in, isn't he?'_

Ryou suddenly felt more couragous as he scowled impulsively. "Don't give me that crap Bakura. I really need to get to the hospital. The only reason I came in here was to ask you if you could lead me, okay?!"

Bakura, a little thrown off by his hikari's outburst, glared at Ryou. "You are not allowed to command me. What the hell makes you think that I'm going to help you?! Do you want a slow and painful death?" Bakura stood up off the bed and paced towards Ryou angrily.

Ryou, sensing his yami's movements, slowly backed away into the hallway. Bakura reached out and grabbed his hikari by the shirt collar. Ryou glared at his taller half as best he could, even though he could only see blackness. Bakura, angered by the look his hikari was giving him, began to raise his arm to give him what he deserved. But, then he saw where his pupil had been gazing. Bakura stared strangely at the wandering black spot, as if it was frantically searching for something. Using the same hand that was about to punch Ryou, Bakura waved it in front of his eyes.

Seeing no reaction, Bakura let go of Ryou's collar and he fell to the ground with a thump. Ryou stared up at where he thought his yami was with a confused look grazing his features. Bakura's eyebrows furrowed together in thought.

"You really can't see me, can you?" Bakura demanded softly, a sharp edge to his voice. An astonished appearance swept Ryou's face and he felt like smiling. Ryou reached out and touched Bakura's leg before finding the other one and hugging them both. He didn't know why, but Ryou felt grateful for Bakura's discovery.

Bakura growled at the contact and swiftly kicked Ryou away. "What the hell are you doing?!" Ryou's happiness faded.

"I... you… understood… I was just happy that… you understood," Ryou stuttered meekly. Bakura grunted. "I just thought… well if you knew that I really couldn't see… that you'd take me to the hospital." Bakura broke out into a cold laugh.

"What makes you think I would do that?" Bakura paused to let out another sharp laugh. "I have to admit, this whole not seeing thing is a job well done for me. Ha, great, now you're even weaker. I think I should just send you to the shadow realm and get it over with." At this, Bakura retreated back into his room (not really following up what he was saying) and slammed the door behind him.

Ryou's body lay limply on the ground and he considered the possibilities now that Bakura wasn't going to help him after all. Like there was much luck there in the first place. An idea hit Ryou as he slowly stood up and sensed his way to his own room. Once he arrived, his fingers lightly brushed his desk in search of the phone. _'I wonder if I can remember their number…I know I have it written down but that won't really help me now…'_ So, picking up the phone, he ran his fingers over the numbers (knowing which order they were in) and tried to feel out the first number.

After a few tries and a few failed numbers (and disgruntled sleepers), Ryou finally obtained the right number. He knew this when the slightly older voice of Yugi mumbled a hello on the other line.

"Yugi? Yugi, is that you?" Ryou asked softly. There was a stunned pause before,

"Ryou? Why are you calling me? And so late at night, nonetheless? Did… did something happen?" Yugi wondered, concern weaving throughout his voice.

"Yugi, I think I'm going to need your help on something. You see, Bakura was kind of, well... lets just say he became a little mad. But the problem isn't him at the moment. Yugi… I'm blind, or so I think. I can't see a thing and I need to get to the hospital. I mean, it's not that serious, but I really want to see if maybe its just temporary… or…" Ryou trailed off, hoping Yugi would get the point.

"Don't worry, I understand. You're wrong, however. If you really are blind, that's serious. I don't know how soon I could get there though, we live pretty far away from each other," Yugi mused. "Well, if a friend is in need, then I can't refuse. (AN: Yes, noble Yugi.) I'll be over there as soon as I can." Yugi wasn't about to drive in the night, (Ryou knew that) but he would start early the next morning.

"Are you sure? I hope I'm not troubling you too much… I can pay for your gas when you get here if you want. I just… I don't think I know anyone else around here would understand as well as you could," Ryou confessed.

"No problem. I'll be there by morning. Oh, hang on a second." Yugi paused. "Yami is going to come too. He says he has some business to attend to, whatever that means."

"Thank you so much Yugi. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for this," Ryou cried.

"No need to worry about it. Just hold off Bakura until we get there and get a good night sleep, you sound like you need it."

"Okay, I will. Thanks again. Have a safe drive."

"Alright. See you sometime tomorrow, maybe around nine, okay?

"Yep. That sounds good. Ja ne."

"Ja ne, Ryou," was the last thing Ryou heard before he hung up the phone. Feeling his way to the bed, he flopped down and fell into a very deep sleep.

The next morning Ryou found it hard to wake up because of the fact that even though his eyes were open, it was almost as dark as it had been when he had been sleeping. Ryou instinctively turned his head to see the time on his alarm clock, but his efforts were in vain. _'I'll just have to wait until the grandfather clock downstairs strikes… well whatever hour it'll be…thank god Bakura didn't break that yet.'_ Ryou began his long journey downstairs (AN: The author is getting tired of telling the readers how he feels his way everywhere…) until he reached the kitchen. Ryou's eyebrows furrowed unconsciously. _'Well… this'll be a challenge. And all I want is a bowl of cereal, geez.'_

If by some chance Bakura would have had some sort of heart, Ryou would have asked for assistance, but there were two problems wrong with that plan. 1.) Bakura didn't have a heart. Duh. 2.) He wouldn't be waking up until about noon. For all Ryou knew, however, it could already be noon. But judging by the fact that Bakura's door was still closed when he came down stairs (he had checked), he was pretty sure that the vicious yami was not yet up.

So, thus started the difficult ordeal of making a bowl of cereal.

Ryou gained a great deal of pride, strangely, by finally sitting down with his bowl of cereal. Sure, he had split some milk and cereal on the kitchen table (due to the misleading placement of the bowl) and he wasn't really positive if had grabbed the milk in the first place. Nor was he positive of the origin of the cereal he was eating. They had a lot of different kinds and Ryou wasn't so much of a freak to actually memorize what order he put the cereal boxes in. So, with pride and a little bit of suspicion, Ryou took his first bite.

_'Well, I have established that I actually did use milk and not orange juice.'_ He took another bite. _'Mmmm…I believe this would be Cinnamon Toast Crunch._ (AN: Hey, I don't own it!) Ryou nearly jumped out of his seat as the grandfather clock began to peal away. (AN: That makes it sound like a banana…sorry I'll stop now). Ryou started to count.

_'One…two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight…nine. Nine. It's nine o' clock. I sure timed that well.'_ So, Yugi and Yami would be here in a matter of minutes. Ryou couldn't help but smile as he continued eating his breakfast. Only then did he realize that if he really wanted to know if the milk was milk and the cereal was Cinnamon Toast Crunch, he could've used he senses of taste and smell much earlier.

Ryou was fishing for some of his last pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in his cereal bowl (which was very hard, indeed) when there was a knock on the door. He gave up on the cereal and got up to put it in the sink when there was another knock.

"I'm coming!" Ryou shouted, not loud enough to wake Bakura (he hoped). Ryou reached for the front door handle and unlocked it. He opened the door and tried to sense who was there, knowing very well already who it was.

"Um… hi?" Ryou questioned cautiously. You never know, it could be a mass murderer at his door instead of Yugi and Yami.

"Ryou!!!" Yugi shouted and gave his friend a hug as he entered. Ryou let out a breath of relief and hugged him back.

"Hey Yugi. How have you been? Yami's there, too, right?" Yugi let go and nodded his head before studying Ryou's eyes.

"Ryou! My gosh, your eyes look horrible! We have to go to the doctor's right away!" Yugi told him, alarmed.

"Calm down, it's okay. Here, come in, I made an appointment early this morning when I was having breakfast and I'm going in at ten, alright?" Ryou reassured his smaller friend (who had grown a bit, judging by the hug). Ryou opened the door and two pairs of footsteps entered his house. "Do you want to sit down? I could make you some tea or something, if you want."

"No offense Ryou, but I don't think at this point you COULD make us tea. Well, at least without taking more than twenty minutes just to find all the ingredients," Yami said knowingly and Ryou flushed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ryou admitted sheepishly. "Well, here lets sit down on my couch then." Ryou began leading the way except he was off to the right a little too much. Yugi took him by the hand and started pulling him gently towards the real location of his couch. Red tinted Ryou's cheeks again. "Heh, whoops. Thanks Yugi."

"No problem," Yugi answered giving his Yami a glance to follow them as well.

"Where's the tomb robber?" Yami questioned Ryou, refusing to go sit down. Ryou looked towards the owner of the voice before answering.

"Ummm, well he's upstairs sleeping right now… but-" Ryou stopped when he heard Yami's footsteps leaving. To the stairs was his best guess. "Don't get him to upset! He's cranky when he wakes up early!" Yami began to climb the stairs, obviously ignoring much of what Ryou was saying. "It's the first door on the right! Well okay then." Ryou laughed and he could tell Yugi became a little upset at his yami's rude departure.

"Sorry about that. I guess his business was pretty urgent," Yugi told Ryou hesitantly. Yugi, of course, already knew what this business was but preferred to keep a secret for now. "So anyway…why don't you tell me what happened, Ryou?" Ryou paused and his eyes scanned the area of the voice's origin. He took a deep breath and initiated his story.

Meanwhile…

Yami opened the Bakura's door and entered. Noticing the sleeping form on the bed, he abruptly began to wake him up.

"Tomb Robber! Get up!" Yami hissed and Bakura shifted in his sleep. Yami looked around his room and spotted a stuffed animal (no doubt Ryou's doing). Picking it up, he threw it harshly at the sleeping form. No, Yami and Bakura were not on 'I'll shake you and wake you up' terms quite yet. At the impending soft sheep-like object, Bakura slowly began to stir.

"I need to talk to you Tomb Robber," Yami requested calmly. Bakura, who was finally awake now looking at Yami with confusion and a trace of shock decorating his face, stood up off his bed before deciding to sit back down on the edge again.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Bakura demanded coldly, upset that his greatest enemy had decided to intrude on his beauty sleep. (AN: Ha, beauty sleep... like he needs it)

"None of your business. Plus, I've needed to have a little 'chat' with you for a while now," Yami replied. Bakura narrowed his eyes at the taller teen.

"I don't give a shit what you have to say to me, I'm not listening to your damn lecture," Bakura snarled. Yami glared at the white-haired yami.

"You and I both know that I'm far stronger than you and I can end your pathetic existence right here and now. Trust me, I don't want to do that, especially with the fact that your hikari needs you now more than ever." Bakura snorted but Yami ignored it and continued. "Which is why I've come to talk to you anyway. Tomb robber, I want you to listen to me."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just say it and get it over with."

Yami nodded and began. "Ryou can no longer see. Yugi and I came over here to help Ryou for the time being but we can only stay here for a day due to Yugi's grandfather. When we go to the hospital at ten o' clock, you WILL come with us. You will tell the nurse or whoever that you are Ryou's brother and that you will be caring for him while his father is away for the weekend. Now, I know that isn't true because one, you are not Ryou's brother and two, his father is dead. But, the nurse will not let you have full responsibility of Ryou unless you are eighteen, which you are not."

Bakura cut in. "What do you mean I'm not eighteen! I'm five thousand fricken years old!" Yami glared at him and continued.

"Your spirit may be five thousand years old but your body isn't. Anyway, the point is, tomb robber, you are going to have to care for your hikari whether you like it or not. I care for my hikari in ways that resemble an older brother and also romantically. Now, I'm not asking for you to have a romantic relationship with your hikari but I do want you to be just like an older brother to him, do you understand?"

Bakura scowled. "Whatever." Yami glowered and sneered at the tomb robber. Bakura sighed in defeat. "Okay, I'll do it. Happy now?"

"Yes and thank you. And if I get any word that you did something to your hikari, I will show no mercy. Don't think you can get out of this either. My hikari is informing your own right now what to do in case you do attempt something. Bakura, we have eyes all around, we'll find out if something happens, you guarantee it."

"Alright already! Jeez, I won't do anything to my 'precious' hikari," Bakura replied, voice dripping with resentment.

Yami smirked. "Good. Now get ready to go to the hospital and meet us downstairs at quarter to ten."

Bakura scowled again. "Yeah, yeah. Go away already." With that, Yami turned, left and shut the door. The annoyed yami huffed. "Like an older brother… what fun." Bakura sarcastically mumbled to himself before getting up to dress in some casual clothing.

Yami continued downstairs and saw the two smaller teens sitting on the couch in a happy discussion.

"Well, I hear when someone losses their eyesight, all their other senses get much better. I guess that's an upside to something," Ryou went on.

"Yeah, they also have a much better feel for emotions, apparently. Although that could just be some psychological mumbo jumbo, if you ask me," Yugi replied, a small smile on his face. Ryou, hearing footsteps on the stairs, lifted his head and looked right in Yami's general area.

"Wow Ryou, you're getting good at that already," Yugi laughed as his yami gave him a wink. Yugi nodded his head in understanding.

Ryou smiled to himself. "Yeah, my ears are really keen now."

"Well, it's about nine thirty, how long does it take to get to your hospital?"

"Umm, less than five minutes by car. It's just around the corner, you know. I was actually hoping we could walk," Ryou suggested. Yugi thought for a little bit and nodded.

"Okay, walking it is then! We'll just have to wait until Bakura's ready."

"Bakura? He's coming too?" Ryou wondered aloud. "I know about this whole 'tell you immediately if he does something' thing but, why is he coming to the doctor's too?" At this, Yami decided to speak up.

"We can only stay here for a day," Yami admitted.

"But- but! I thought you guys were going to be here! That's when you told me to tell you immediately, I thought I could just scream or something!" Ryou said desperately.

Yugi looked at him sadly. "My grandfather wouldn't let us stay for more than a day because we have to run the game shop. I'm so sorry, Ryou."

Yami took this as a hint to continue. "In the meantime Bakura's going to be taking care of you. The reason he's coming to the doctor is because he needs to know the full extent of your situation," Yami told Ryou gently. At this new revelation, Ryou's face covered with shock and fear.

"Bakura is… he's… taking care of me?!?"

######

Yay! I doubled the amount of pages! Yippee! See, I TOLD you it would be longer! YAY! Sorry, random hyperness, lol. And even though I only had 7 reviews, I was VERY happy with the fact that my story got 120 hits! Yay! (Thank you enhanced statistics.) Now, I know a bunch of people read it… how come there were only SEVEN reviews? Lol, just kidding. I'm really happy anyway! So I'd like to give thanks to the following people:

CrimsonEyedAngel99 : Thanks for your review! Yes, I think Ryou needed a hug too… I want a plushie of him… (fangirl mode) … it'd be sooo cute! I must glomp…muahahahaha!

Kawaii Shimegami : I loved your phrase, "You beat me, but I love you!" it made me laugh, especially because that was the exact type of thing I wanted to NOT do in this story. It just seems so unrealistic in other stories sometimes… (But I will read them anyway because I love Bakura/Ryou fictions soo much!) Thanks for your review!

Kania : Don't worry, it will not be sad at all. In fact, most of the angst is pretty much already over with. I was considering changing the second genre… I might make it general or drama or something.

Santurion2 : You lucky! I wish I were done with exams! Gar. Anywho, I really liked your review! Thanks so much! Don't worry, like I said with the previous thank you person, most of the angst and violence is already over (as you could probably tell from this chapter cuz otherwise Bakura would get in trouble!)

Princess Kat : Meep! 2 am?? Get some sleep girl! Lol, you can't stay up reading fanfictions all night! (I wish I could…)

Decemberjewel : I can't really comment TOO much on yours, lol. But thanks for the review!! I hope you liked this chapter!

Living on Dreams : Phanks Missa-chan! I'll update as soon as possible! Maybe around Thursday? I dunno, depends on swim practice (whoopee). Thanks again!!

Well, in general thanks all of you who reviewed AND all of you who didn't!! Have a great weekend (eventually)!! Exams are next week! I'll try getting the third chapter out sometime! (Maybe I'll write it during one of my free exam periods!) Expect it by June 12th!!

3 Suki No Hikari 3

PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	3. Confusion

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters, I think I'd have many more anime DVD's than I actually do.

Sorry I didn't update right away (I'm four days late -.-;;) but I had some business on the weekend to take care of… cough hell of a lot of yard work cough cough Anyway, thanks sooooo much for the reviews!! I'd like to address one ahead of time, however (the rest I'll respond to at the bottom).

To maedhros – First of all, thanks for the review. The point that caught my eye in your review was the part about 'Bakura's acceptance of his responsibility' being too easy. First, he accepted it easily because he knew Yami was much stronger than him (this wasn't written in text but I thought it was implied pretty well). The second reason it seemed so easy was because it makes it simple for me if he just went along with it. Hey! Authors can be lazy too! =nn=

NOTE: I've changed the name of the chapters on the links (as in the chapter names in that little blue box you can scroll down in) but the REAL chapter names are still in the story. I'm trying to write a sentence using the blue links and by the end of my story, it will make a complete sentence (or a couple of them). If this is confusing, you'll understand it later.

Reminders:

"Spoken words"

''Thinking'

Hikari to Yami

Yami to Hikari

With that aside, on with Chapter Three!

######

Title: Ai No Ejiki

(Victim of Love)

Author: Suki No Hikari

Rating: PG-13 (for Baku-kun's naughty mouth!)

Recap: Yami took this as a hint to continue. "In the meantime Bakura's going to be taking care of you. The reason he's coming to the doctor is because he needs to know the full extent of your situation," Yami told Ryou gently. At this new revelation, Ryou's face covered with shock and fear.

"Bakura is… he's… taking care of me?!?"

#######

Chapter Three: Confusion

(Third Person P.O.V.)

Ryou felt like he was going to faint. _'How could Bakura of all people be the one to take care of me? And if Yami and Yugi leave, and I can't contact them in time… what will I do? He'd kill me.'_ Someone coming down the stairs interrupted his thoughts. Bakura, he assumed.

"Are you ready, Tomb Robber?" Yami demanded, his voice crisp.

"Ryou isn't the only one who can't see apparently. What does it look like, you moron?" Bakura growled. Ryou could almost feel the _warm, affectionate _scowl he was probably giving the other yami. Note the sarcasm. Yami ignored Bakura's retort and proceeded in heading out the door. Yugi trailed along behind him while Ryou stood there, looking rather lost.

"Umm… guys?" Ryou started meekly. "Could you help me? I mean, just ummm… lead me the right way or something? I think I might take forever otherwise." Yami opened his mouth to comment, but Bakura swiftly walked over to his hikari and snatched his hand.

"Come on, weakling. You're wasting my time," Bakura spat, leaving no room for argument. Ryou frowned, observing how reluctant his yami was… and the fact that he was squeezing the life out of his hand. Ryou, yanked out the front door, followed the tri-haired boys.

"Steps," Bakura snarled quickly and Ryou took a step, trying desperately to find the next one. Bakura, though, being impatient as ever, kept pulling him down the stairs quickly. Too quickly. Ryou tripped on the third one down and heard Bakura curse as he fell into him. "Walk much, idiot?" Ryou, angered, picked himself off from the ground, since Bakura had so _nicely_ let him fall.

"Well, _yami_," Ryou started, voice dripping with loathing, "You try walking with YOUR eyes closed and see how easy it is."

"How dare you talk to me like tha-" Bakura was cut off, however, leaving Ryou slightly confused. He guessed that Yami must have given his yami a look or something of that sort. There was a lot of guessing in being blind. Ryou just considered himself lucky for now. Bakura normally would have hurt him for saying that.

They continued walking down the sidewalk, Bakura putting a death grip on Ryou's poor hand. Yami and Yugi ambled on ahead of the two, nearly oblivious to the white-haired teens. Ryou was flooded with sounds and smells; things he would have never been able to listen to or inhale otherwise. Just by the way the breeze danced across his cheeks, bringing along with it a faint smile to the boy's features, Ryou could tell it was one of those sunny, perfect days. The only thing wrong was the fact that Bakura had yet to lessen up on his hand.

"Umm… Bakura…" Ryou began mildly.

Bakura grunted. "What now?" Ryou flinched at the yami's harsh tone but kept talking nonetheless.

"I was just wondering if… if you could stop squeezing my hand so tight. I'm losing feeling in my fingers," Ryou requested softly. He could feel his cheeks heat up at the question. Bakura, too, realized how strange it sounded. But, of course, it was also strange that he even considered 'holding hands' with his hikari, if it can even be called that.

Bakura, who should have done something (anything!) by now, was torn between two decisions. One, obey his hikari and show that he could actually succumb to such a weakling's stupid need. Or two, kill his hand but get his head taken off (perhaps both literally and metaphorically) by the Pharaoh. Ryou, sensing his yami's inner conflict, decided to speak up again.

"Well, you d-don't have to… it's oka-" Ryou stopped talking at the feeling of Bakura loosening his grip. _'Whoa, that's weird.'_ Ryou thought suspiciously. _'Bakura would _never_ listen to me… I wonder if he's sick today.'_ Bakura grunted again, thoroughly displeased with his decision.

Ryou put his head down, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. For what reason, he was still unsure. Maybe it was the heat. He smiled as he felt each and every one of his five fingers. "Umm… thanks… thank you Bakura."

Bakura let out a low growl. "Whatever."

"Hurry up you two! You guys are as slow as molasses! Jeez!" Yugi's buoyant voice sounded, breaking the awkward silence. Yami poked his hikari (for he was facing the two albinos) and Yugi spun around. He didn't have to look far to see what Yami had poked him for. The hospital was coming up around the corner. Yugi turned back around and shouted gleefully, "We can see the hospital now, we're almost there!"

Bakura made a sound. "Does that stupid kid ever stop being so… so… happy?! Someday, I swear, I'm going to yank him off his little cloud nine and bury him underground." Ryou couldn't help but giggle at his yami's gripe. "What the hell is so funny? You used to act just like him."

Ryou smiled again. "It's just… I never knew you to be so open to me. Did the dead animal finally come out of your butt after all these years, or are we going to the hospital for you too now? I swear you're sick." Ryou would have playfully felt his forehead for signs of fever, but since he wouldn't know exactly where Bakura's forehead _is_, he figured he'd not. Besides, the older teen might think he was trying to grope his head. Ryou sniggered at the thought.

Bakura huffed. '_I was just muttering to myself; the stupid kid didn't _have_ to listen,_' Bakura thought to himself. Yet, an evil voice, namely his conscious (AN: do yamis have a conscious?!?), nagged in the back of his head. Bakura noticed Ryou stifle another giggle. "And stop laughing at me damnit!"

"I'm not laughing at _you_, just your facial expressions," Ryou told him playfully, knowing very well that meant he was laughing at Bakura.

"It's the same god damn thing!" Bakura yelled, exasperated. _'This kid is getting on my last nerve!_' Even though his mind wanted to rip Ryou to pieces (AN: O.O), his heart wasn't really feeling as much hatred, strangely. Bakura didn't stop to wonder why.

"You guys are arguing like a married couple, lord!" Yugi suddenly exclaimed, as he popped up beside Ryou, startling them both. He grabbed a hold of the smaller teen's arm and started dragging them into the hospital. Bakura briefly wondered when they had actually_ gotten _to the hospital.

"Well, Bakura-san. This is definitely a strange predicament," the female doctor announced to Ryou. Once they had finally gone into the hospital, the receptionist led Ryou and Bakura to the doctor's room (figuring they were brothers) and told Yugi and Yami to remain in the waiting room until the two were done. So here they were, Ryou having explained his situation, and Bakura sitting down in one of the chairs, with a scowl on his face. Bet that's a shock.

"May I inquire to how this happened?" the doctor unexpectedly asked. Bakura's ears twitched at the question. _'He'll probably tell her I did it. Well, I did. So why do I care?'_ Ryou looked down at his feet.

"Well… you see… I was out walking the other night," Ryou started. Bakura looked up, curious. What was his hikari walking around in the middle of the night for? And why does that have to do with him not being able to see? The doctor interrupted Bakura's thoughts.

"Were you alone?"

"Yes. I was walking back by an alley, a shortcut I normally use to get home. And well, I ran into these guys and… well… they started beating me up. They had a fire going in a nearby garbage can and… one of them accidentally tipped it over when he was kicking me and some of the ashes flew into my eyes and on my forehead. The next thing I knew, I couldn't see a thing. And well… that's about it," Ryou finished, rather pleased with his cunning lie. Bakura, however, felt like he was about to fall off his chair. He almost did, if he hadn't regained his composure so quickly.

"I see. So you had ashes in your eyes and now you can't see, is that it?" She asked again and Ryou nodded. "Well, good thing you made an appointment. We have a machine already set up for you. It's nothing big, it's just going to scan your eyes to see if there's any permanent damage. There may be a chance we just need to clean out your eyes more efficiently." Ryou nodded again. "Is it okay that you stay in here while I go set it up?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

(AN: I really have no idea what I'm talking about so just stick with me for now! If this doesn't make sense to you, well… then that makes two of us. n.n;; I don't know, I've never been blind! I don't know what kind of technology there is! XD)

Ryou heard the doctor leave the room, the door shutting with a soft click. An unnerving silence floated about the room.

"Why'd you say that?" Bakura abruptly demanded. Ryou looked confused.

"Say what?"

"You know what I'm talking about! Why didn't you just come out and say I did it? That I was the one who abused you?"

Ryou shrugged. "I don't know. I guess… I didn't want you in trouble, all right? They'd probably put you in jail for that kind of thing and plus, how good would it look if I came here with the person who made me blind in the first place?" Ryou reasoned. Bakura made a 'pfmh' sound and became silent for a couple minutes. Ryou sighed and tried to make his way to the chair beside Bakura's. At least he thought there was a chair there.

Bakura, seeing his hikari reach in the air, grabbed his hand and gently laid it on the seat next to him. Ryou's eyes went a little wide. _'Bakura… didn't kill my hand? That was…weird… to say the least. He's like an ass when he's talking, but just now… Bakura's not supposed to be acting nice! Well, not nice but… he's not a gentle person!'_ Ryou shivered for an unknown reason and sat down. The fact of Bakura's behavior recently was still nagging in his mind, however, and Ryou didn't like it. But he wasn't the only one confused…

The doctor came in after a few minutes and asked for Ryou to come out into the hall with her, no doubt leading him to the room where his eyes were going to be scanned. With Ryou's absence, Bakura's was left with only his thoughts.

Meanwhile…

Yugi and Yami sat waiting out in the reception area, talking through their mind link.

Yami?

Yes, aibou?

Are you sure this will all work? I mean, think about it. Bakura didn't seem too upset to hear that he was taking care of Ryou. Aren't you a little suspicious that he might… try something?

He might, Yugi. He just might. But that's why right after I left his room, I put a hex with my millennium item on the house.

Yugi frowned. A hex? What do you mean?

It allows me to follow that tomb robber's every movement. I put my millennium eye (AN: the one that appears on his forehead sometimes… ? Not Pegasus' if you're confused) into the wall and it will follow his actions. If he _does_ try anything, I'll know.

That was a good idea. I hope Ryou will be okay.

I'm sure he will be, aibou. I think the tomb robber is unconsciously warming up to Ryou. He doesn't know it, but it's happening. Why else wouldn't he put up a fight when I told him he had to take care of Ryou? There's obviously something going on in that thick head of his.

Well, I guess.

Are you still unsure about this? You could stay longer and I'll run the game shop if you want.

No, that's not it. I just don't think Ryou is going to be very happy like this.

Yugi, he'll be happier than he ever has been. Now, Bakura can no longer beat him. Well, not without seriously getting in trouble. He'll be _fine_, Yugi.

Are you sure?

This is why I fell in love with you, aibou. You're far too kind for your own good.

Yugi blushed. Heh… thanks.

Ryou came back into the room after a while, a large grin on his face. Bakura furrowed his eyebrows.

"What are you so happy about?" Bakura asked curtly. Ryou kept smiling, however.

"Look Bakura!" Ryou suddenly walked over to Bakura and tried to touch his arm, but he was a little to the right. He frowned.

"What?" Bakura growled. Ryou huffed and stopped his search.

"Well, I have good news! Why don't we go back out in the waiting room and I'll tell Yugi and Yami, too?" Ryou chirped happily. Bakura stood up and stretched. His head hurt from all the thinking he had just been doing.

"What about the woman?" Bakura asked, referring to the doctor.

"Oh, she said I could go after she finished cleaning my eyes a little bit," Ryou explained. "Umm… Bakura?"

Bakura didn't let him finish as he swiftly started leading Ryou out into the waiting room, pushing his back. Yugi and Yami stood up at the sight of the two white-haired teens and rushed (well Yugi did) over to Ryou.

"So what's the news, Ryou-kun?" Yugi asked happily. Ryou beamed and took a breath before starting.

"Well the doctor said the reason that I couldn't see anything is because light wasn't being properly reflected in my eyes because of the ashes. But we cleaned some of the ones that I missed out. I still can't see anything very well, but it isn't black anymore. Everything's just really blurry instead," Ryou told them and smiled brightly. "Yugi, you're right there… I think… or it's Yami I'm seeing…" Ryou said as he pointed in Yugi's general area, still a little bit to the right.

"Wow, Ryou, that's amazing! So is this permanent or not?" Yugi asked hopefully.

Ryou, if possible, tweaked his smile upwards even more so. "Nope! She says if I use these eye drops," Ryou held up a small bottle. "Every day for the next 10 days, it should be all cleared up! It wasn't really that serious after all! Yugi, I'm going to be able to see again!" Yugi smiled at his friend, although Ryou couldn't make it out.

"That's wonderful, Ryou. I'm so happy this all turned out well," Yugi said whole-heartedly. Ryou nodded as Yami cleared his throat.

"Well, it's getting pretty late in the day. So why don't we head back to Ryou's place?" Yami suggested.

Ryou's eyes lit up with an idea. "How about we stop at the ice cream parlor on the way home! I'm really hungry! It's just like a block away from our house!"

"Yeah, I think I saw that on the way here. Sounds good to me," Yugi stated. Yami eyed the tomb robber, noticing how quiet he was being.

"No complaints then, tomb robber?" Bakura's head jolted up at Yami's voice and he glared at the game king.

"I don't care." Bakura shrugged nonchalantly and grabbed Ryou's hand again. Yugi and Yami didn't move, watching Bakura's strange actions. "Well, are we going or what?" He demanded coldly and the two tri-haired teens nodded simultaneously.

As they headed off to the ice cream parlor, Ryou gave a slight glance over to his yami. _'He's really been acting strange today. Yami must've said something to him upstairs earlier today. I wonder…'_ Bakura, noticing his hikari's line of sight, grunted.

"What are you staring at?" Bakura scowled.

Ryou's head snapped back forwards again. "N-nothing!"

Bakura looked at his hikari's form out of the corner of his eye and gave a silent shrug. An awkward silence fell between the two for the umpteenth time that day as they headed for their snack.

######

Liked it? I tried to fit some kind of Bakura/Ryou-ish ness in there. ::shrug:: I dunno, I really don't want a forty-chaptered story or anything. I'm trying for about ten chapters maybe. (AKA : I'm trying to move things along) Bakura! Do the thank you's!

Bakura: Why do I have to?

Suki: Cuz I said and the author has all the power. I can turn you into a fish stick if I want, so just do them so I don't have to turn my favorite bishie into my dinner, okay?

Bakura: You'd EAT me?!

Suki: =3 Maybe… I'd rather glomp you though n.n

Bakura: Neh! Don't! I'll do them:

Princess Kat : Thanks for your helpful review! It cheered me up =D I officially dub you my number one fan! Because I felt like it O.o and I can do that! You and 2:00… wow, I couldn't be that consistent u.u ::Shrug:: Meh. Thanks again!!! ::huggles::

CrimsonEyedAngel99 : Ohhh I want a chibi mallet! ::steals:: Wait… ::Gives it back:: I'd just rather have a chibi Baku-kun! =D ::Glomps:: (Bakura: HEY! YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T DO THAT!!) Meh, I love author power… hehe. So thanks for you're review!! YOU HURT MY BISHIE!! TT But, you're right, he deserved it. ::Whacks Baku-kun:: (Bakura: HEY!) n.n

snow-shadow-wolf : Thanks for your review!! I'm glad you liked my grammar =) Oh and for your question about how I knew how many hits I got, it was because I paid for the enhanced statistics feature that comes with your login. It cost me 25$ to have it for the year but I like it because I get my own profile picture and everything =D Thanks again!!

Santurion2 : =n.n= Aw, you make me blush! Thanks very much for your review!! I'm sorry I didn't update as fast TT stupid exams… and laziness… ::blush:: Hehe! Thanks again!!

Carmen5-Nemrac : Heh, people who use 0's for o's are funny! W00t! ::giggles:: Thank you for your review! It made me smile! =D

nova shadows : … ::starts bawling:: Thanks! ::sniff:: It's good to know someone cried because of my story =D That really made my face go from =l to =D … thanks very much for your review!!! n.n

maedhros : I responded to your review above but thanks again!! I 3 reviews!!

Bakura: Okay I'm done ::leaves::

Suki: ::grabs him:: Wait a finger-lickin moment there! You can't leave!

Bakura: Why not?

Suki: Because. The last thing I have to say here is that I have to admit that I'm getting a little lazy writing this because suddenly I have an obsession with Harry/Draco slash fics from Harry Potter. ::is ashamed:: BUT! I'll update soon if I get good reviews!!

THANK YOU FOR 433 HITS!! AND THANKS FOR THE 139 PEOPLE WHO WENT ON TO READ CHAPTER TWO! That was the ONLY thing that made me get inspiration to right this… =( PLEASE REVIEW!! Some of you 139 have to! PLEASE!! ::'Puss in boots from Shrek 2' eyes:: (AKA puppy dog eyes)

I 3 all you guys so much! (even if you don't review =D) Thanks for reading!

3 Suki-chan 3


	4. Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Well, that's what my doctors say I have to tell everyone. I actually do own Yu-Gi-Oh but I have bad mental problems so I'm supposed to keep it a secret. And now that I've seen how many fangirls love Yu-Gi-Oh shonen-ai, I've decided to pair off all the guys and kill off any girls and have random kissing during the entire show. Who cares about the duel monsters game? It sucks anyway! … MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! …… …. …… ::cough cough:: If you believed that mumbo-jumbo, you have some serious issues. =P

Author Ramblings - ::Eyes sparkle:: Thank you everyone for the reviews! Waii! And for the 740 hits!! It makes me so very happy! Arigatou gozaimasu minna-san! n.n Yay! Well, I tried to get this out pretty much on time (from what I said on my bio page). I'm currently finishing up a Bakura/Ryou fluffy (and an EXTREMELY OOC Bakura) one-shot. So I took some time doing that. Hopefully that'll be posted around Saturday (I'd probably finish earlier but I'm real busy past Wednesday of this week).

Author Rants - One thing I want to rant and rave about for just a second here is the stupid formatting FF.net is doing to all my chapters! Gawds, they will NOT let me center anything (even with Quick Edit) or bold things! Not only that, they won't allow asterisks or 'at' signs or the double '/' to show Yami to Hikari talking! They totally messed it up!! . So after seeing my mistake last chapter with the Yami/Yugi talking, I replaced the '/' with '' and '' to show talking through the mind link. They also may stop letting me italicize things, so anything with ' and ' will be thinking. So excuse me if there are mistakes in the future relating to things like this. I will try to fix them immediately. =)

Enough of that!

EDITED KEY:

"Spoken words"

'Thinking'

Hikari to Yami

Yami to Hikari

NOTES: Yugi-tachi have graduated from high school. Just in case I didn't mention it before. I also changed genres if anyone didn't notice. I changed it from Romance/Angst to Romance/General since General covers a lot of different categories (I'm going for angst, humor and some drama as well so I just figured general would work.)

On with chapter four! n.n

######

Title: Ai No Ejiki

(Victim of Love)

Author: Suki No Hikari

Rating: PG-13 (yay for naughty words!)

Recap: "What are you staring at?" Bakura scowled.

Ryou's head snapped back forwards again. "N-nothing!"

Bakura looked at his hikari's form out of the corner of his eye and gave a silent shrug. An awkward silence fell between the two for the umpteenth time that day as they headed for their snack.

######

Chapter Four : Conspiracy

"Welcome to Jack's Frozen Custard, what would you like?" the cashier inquired to the four teens.

Yugi smiled at the girl behind the counter and gave all four orders. "One-scoop vanilla waffle cone, one hot fudge sundae, and two one-scoop chocolate waffle cones." The girl punched in the orders and looked up again.

"Anything else?" Yugi shook his head and the girl took a peek at the register again. "Five dollars and twenty-eight cents is your total," the cashier announced and gave them a cup with a number on it as Yugi handed her the money. "You will be served as soon as possible."

Yugi gave a polite nod and motioned for the others to follow him to a booth. The yamis and hikaris sat with each other and waited for their tasty treat.

"So what have you guys been up to the last, what was it? Two years?" Yugi wondered aloud. "I haven't heard from you two in ages! Not since you left Domino, at least. Are you going to college at all, Ryou?"

Ryou smiled, slightly. "Well, when I graduated from my high school a month ago, I decided not to go to college because I need to support Bakura and myself. So I figure I'll just get a part time job when fall comes around. But for now, I have enough money just to relax this summer. As for Bakura…"

Bakura grumbled. "I don't care."

Ryou shrugged, knowing well ahead of time what Bakura's answer would be. "And that's that!"

Yugi and Yami gave small smiles to Ryou. "I'm glad to hear that you guys are doing well," Yugi started but was cut off as a waiter holding a small tray, specifically designed for ice cream cones, placed their food on the table. "Oh thank you," Yugi declared politely to the waiter and picked up his vanilla cone.

"Ryou, you bought the chocolate ice cream cone right?" Yugi requested and Ryou nodded. Bakura grabbed the twin chocolate cone while Yami snatched his hot fudge sundae. Yugi handed Ryou his cone, making sure the white-haired teen had it in his hand.

Bakura started slowly licking his frozen yogurt, taking a peek at Ryou out of the corner of his eye. Now, Bakura would hate to admit this under any other circumstance at any other time, but lately things had been getting a little weird. That's an understatement. _Very weird_.

So, he had to use every ounce of his strength to hold back a smile while looking at the smaller teen's desperate attempts to lick his own ice cream cone. So, he wanted to laugh cheekily at the tiny chocolate goop on Ryou's nose. So, he wanted to admit that for some reason, when Ryou hugged his legs only a mere night ago, he had an urge to gather the small teen in his arms. That when he kicked him, he felt as if he kicked an angel. That this angel he wished he could join in heaven, wished he could warm up to, but couldn't. He knew the angel would feel warm in his arms…

But all at the exact same time, he wished that this angel would fall. That Ryou's, the angel's, blood would mark the ending of his own misery. So, he hated the kid, he could not and would not _ever_ stand the fact that his own look-a-like could be that weak. So, he abused him and tainted him with cruelty. He couldn't stand it. The weakness. It just reminded Bakura of how weak he was so many years ago, when he became an inhabitant of the Millennium Ring, when fate had cursed him. Laughed at him. Mocked him. Then forced him to join with someone who ridiculed the mistakes he made so many thousand years ago. And he was just supposed to accept this willingly? Just as the Pharaoh had? No. He would despise everyone as if he would have five thousand years ago. The only emotion he had ever known, and will ever know – hatred.

Bakura let out a small sigh. He knew these were just words, made-up excuses; his mind telling him things he wanted to hear. His heart telling him things he didn't. All the while, a small white-haired angel dared to open his mind to his heart… and at the same time, a cruel mirror image of the angel, a devil, is daring to do just the opposite.

"Yooohooooooo! Earth to the lowly Tomb Robber! Are you just going to keep staring at your melting ice cream cone like the idiot you are?" Yami yelled, while waving his hand in front of the zoned-out face of Bakura. Finally seeing the movement, the yami blinked a couple times and looked down at his ice cream cone, now melting all over his hand.

"DAMNIT!"

Ryou couldn't help but chuckle as he paused in his (desperate) attempt to eat his ice cream to listen to his surroundings. He wished he could see, or at least distinguish, Bakura's expression. He sighed and looked back at his ice cream cone. Or at least the dark spot in his vision. He couldn't really see the cone. He brought the frozen custard near his tongue once again, hoping he was at least near the top of it. The effort was in vain, however, when he noticed that he had aimed to low, and the top of the ice cream smeared on his nose. Again.

"Do you want some help, Ryou?" Yugi's kind voice broke up the laughter. Ryou nodded, blushing slightly, thinking how embarrassing the situation was. Yugi set down his own cone and reached over for Ryou's. "Here, I'll help you eat this. Just stick out your tongue," Yugi commanded as the other hikari stuck out his tongue obligingly. Ryou felt the chocolate cone hit the tip of his tongue and he started to lick it.

Yami glanced over at his hikari's attempts to let Ryou eat his ice cream. Any passer-by might think it was cute; a couple helping each other eat. Yami involuntarily shivered.

Yugi? 

Yes, Yami? 

Could I talk to you for a moment? 

No offense, Yami, but you kind of already are. 

Yami's cheeks tinted pink. I mean, privately and not through our mind link. Umm, as in away from these two. 

Yugi paused for a moment. Um, okay. Why don't we just say we have to go to the bathroom? I'll meet you over there. 

Thanks, koibito. Yugi blushed brightly at the endearment. Take your ice cream with you. Don't ask me why right now. 

"Umm… Ryou?" Yugi started. Ryou stopped licking his cone. "Yami and I have to go to the bathroom real quick. We'll be back in a couple minutes."

"Okay, but what about my ice cream cone? I mean, I don't want it to melt or anything…" Ryou informed them in a shy tone.

Yugi smiled and put the cone in Ryou's hand once again. "Just have Bakura feed it to you."

Bakura and Ryou coughed in tune with each other. Bakura looked incredulous. "What?!"

"You heard me. Bakura, you feed Ryou. Now nature is screaming so please let me go!" Yugi lied and headed off with Yami. (AN: Yugi… lying?! ::gasps::)

Bakura sighed as he watched the two tri-haired teens get up from the table and walk around the corner to the bathroom. He didn't notice that both of them took their ice cream with them. Ryou cleared his throat, in attempt to get the other's attention. Bakura turned and glared, before stopping and remembering it didn't really matter because Ryou couldn't tell what he did anyway.

"Err… you don't really have to help-" Ryou started but was cut off by a low growl from Bakura.

"Just hand me the damn cone," the yami demanded and Ryou flinched as he handed over the chocolate delight. Bakura snatched it from his hikari's extended hand. Ryou slowly stuck out his tongue again, fearing that Bakura might just go and rip it out. But to his surprise, and perhaps Bakura's as well, the cone was lifted to Ryou's tongue. The small hikari became practically frozen in shock.

"Well, are you going to eat it or not?" Bakura insisted impatiently and Ryou broke out of his trance as he started to lick the ice cream. The white-haired teen couldn't help his face from lighting up, a small grin breaking through. And for some reason, Bakura had the urge to return the favor.

Meanwhile...

"What's up, Yami? Why the sudden need for a 'private' talk?" Yugi asked, watching Yami occasionally peek around the corner at the other two teens. Yami shrugged. Yugi frowned and said, "No reason? None at all? Well, then lets go back!" Yugi began to move but stopped as he felt a tugging at his shirtsleeve.

"Shhh. Sorry, I have a reason," Yami told the shorter teen and pulled him back around the corner.

"What is it then?"

"That." Yami pointed to Ryou and Bakura and Yugi glanced at them. The first mentioned was practically smiling like an idiot while the latter wasn't scowling. Okay, no big deal right? But he wasn't glaring, growling, or glowering either. Bakura was just looking peacefully at the other adolescent. Peacefully is _not_ in Bakura's dictionary. Yugi's eyes went large.

"Whoa, when did _that_ happen?"

Yami smirked. "Right when you finished feeding Ryou and I stopped being jealous of it."

Yugi blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't kno-"

Yami shushed the other. "Don't worry about it. I wasn't too jealous," he exclaimed playfully with a small wink and spooned himself some more of his sundae.

Yugi smiled in relief and took a lick of his vanilla cone, following the yami's actions. "So, are we just going to watch them? Isn't that a bit… rude?"

"Of course."

"But-"

"Yugi, stop fussing over it. How about we play just a tiny game of matchmaker before we leave? We only have two more hours here, you know."

"Yami! You've learned to read a clock!"

"Seriously, aibou, I was the former Pharaoh of Egypt. I'm not _stupid_." Yugi snorted. "Are you laughing at me?"

"No, it's just that you're so cute when you're pretentious."

Yami blinked. "I'm… what?"

Yugi chuckled. "Next time we see Grandpa, why don't you ask him what a dictionary is and tell him to show you that word, okay?"

Yami blinked again and Yugi couldn't help but giggle. "Seriously now, _koi_," Yugi enunciated the word and it was Yami's turn to go red. "What can we do to push those two together?"

"What? You think I have any ideas?"

Yugi face-faulted. "It was your conspiracy, genius!"

"My… what?"

"You seriously need a dictionary." Yami stared and Yugi shook his head, apologetically. "Well, I have somewhat of a good plan. It's nothing special, but it'll make them go nice and red. Listen closely."

Yami leaned in as Yugi began to whisper.

(AN: Should I stop? Naw…! =D)

Ryou finished his last bite of his ice cream cone, briefly wondering why the heck Yami and Yugi were taking so long in the bathroom.

Wait… bathroom… Yami and Yugi… excessive amount of time…

Ryou _didn't_ want to know. Bakura grunted and interrupted Ryou's train of thought, thankfully. However, he couldn't get Bakura's recent behavior off his mind.

"Bakura… can I ask you something?" Ryou started and Bakura made a sound, not answering his question. "Why are you being so… well, nice to me?"

Bakura furrowed his eyebrows angrily. "I'm not being nice."

Ryou huffed. "Well, you're not being mean. I mean with you feeding me and earlier… it's just not like you."

"It's also not like you to be so straightforward. Why do you keep asking me stupid questions?" Bakura requested in a composed tone.

"They're not stupid and you know it!" Ryou defended. "I just… I want to know…"

Bakura became silent. "Well, I don't have a good explanation," he stated softly, stunning Ryou once again. He had _never_ heard Bakura talk like this to him before. Ever.

"Umm..." Ryou tried to say something but was cut off.

"I don't have one now at least."

Ryou shook his head and smiled gently. "That's okay. I shouldn't have pried into your business."

Bakura sat noiseless and began to stare off into space, leaving Ryou wondering why he didn't say anything else. "Ryou…" he whispered, not intending for it to leave his mouth.

"What?"

Bakura realized what he had done and snapped out of his small trance. "Nothing, weakling. I didn't say anything," he growled and Ryou shrugged. Right now Ryou wished more than ever that he could glimpse into Bakura's eyes; he could always tell what he was thinking just by looking at them. Something told Ryou that Bakura was hiding some issues deep within himself and that Ryou was finally starting to uncover them. Perhaps an angel really was shining down on Bakura, why else would he become so open?

Ryou smiled to himself. _'Well, I guess a couple good things came out of being blind after all.'_

#####

Ugh… cheesy… rushed… weird… not good… not good… bad… very bad… as you can tell, this author is not happy with her chapter…

I tried to get everything moving along, but then realized it was too rushed as I read it over. I didn't want to re-type it or anything because my time on my computer is limited. Well, maybe a few good reviews will cheer me up ::winks::

Flame me if you want! They will be used to make s'mores! But constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

Bakura- Ugh, I acted disgusting!

Suki-chan- ::ashamed:: I know! ::sobs:: It was horrible! Gah. Well at least I made you confused in your little thinking speech thingy so it seemed semi-authentic.

Ryou – That was strangely deep too…

Bakura – You messed up author! I'm not supposed to be deep!

Suki-chan - ………………………. ::Cries some more:: I know! What was I thinking! GAHHHHH!!! …….. ::sniff:: Here's the thank you's… ::sniff::

Inu-luva : Gah! YOU DON'T NEED A THANK YOU! GO AWAY! STAY AWAY FROM MY REVIEWS!! EVIL NON-SHONEN-AI LOVER!!!!! ::mumbles:: Stupid Beth… I tried and tried and tried to make her like shonen-ai but nooooo! SHE EVEN WATCHED GRAVITATION… AND LIKED IT! . Baka!

Princess Kat : Yay for hyperness! W00t! Me loveth being hyper! YOU BROKE YOUR TWO RECORD!! ::gasps loudly and points a finger accusingly:: Well, anyway, I would use your idea about Ryou falling down the stairs but… er… I might get some weird comments off that one… O.o it'd be kind of… random… yus… lol. Here's some advice for next time you review… USE MORE SUGAR!! Muahahahahahahaha! Mmmmm… pudding… =D Thanks so much!

Carmen5-Nemrac : Yes I d0! L0l, thanks s0 much f0r the review! Ugh… that's hard to do when typing… I just automatically go for the 'o' and not the '0' ::sweat drop:: Thanks for your review!! It made me happy… again! Lol =)

snow-shadow-wolf : Hehe, I don't have a job… I just used my daddy's credit card without permission… heh… ::sweat drop:: I know what you mean! All the BXR-ers are gone!! ::gasps:: I, too, could read one each day but now they all went bye-bye! Don't worry because this is why I created my new FF.net account! I SHALL BE THY BXR SAVIOR! AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE LAND SHALL BE HAPPY ONCE AGAIN! ::beams:: Seriously, I'm going down fighting with this account! Mwuaha. Thanks again for the review!!

Dark Magic 856 : Thank you so much for all three of your reviews!! They may me sooo happy! I hope you're liking the longer chapters =D

russle : Wow, I have so much to say to you! But since my sis is bothering me to get off and I HAVE to update this chapter, I got to keep it short …T.T How sad. Well, I LOVED your review. It made my braces blind someone because my mouth was so bright from smiling! I'm glad you found that funny, too n.n especially because I'm trying to lighten up on the angst and get it more humorous! Gah! I have to end it here ::is sad:: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW!!! ::huggles::

DaughterofDeath : I shall. =D

Bakura – You're taking up too much worthless space with all that…

Suki-chan - ::still sniffling:: I know, I know… its bad… I'M A HORRIBLE WRITER! ::sobs::

Ryou – There, there…

Bakura – Don't encourage her, hikari! You _know_ she's just asking for pity reviews!

Suki-chan – Meh! =P Meanie! I'm not!

Bakura – Yes you are, moron.

Suki-chan – Grr… ::locks him in a closet:: … wait!! ::throws Ryou in with him:: =3 Mehehehe…. Have fun you two!! ::pounding and shouted obscenities are heard in the background::

Thanks for reading this!! 100 hits alone for chapter three!! Yay! Please review. It'll make me update faster! =D

3 Suki-chan 3


	5. Concern

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh… well… do dreams count? ::gets hit over the head by a mysterious hand:: Okay! Never mind…

Well, I tried to get this out pretty much on time as I usually do. I was a few days late (than what I said in my bio). About that…

NOTE: FOR ANY UPDATES OR EXPECTED DUE DATES OF FOLLOWING CHAPTERS PLEASE CHECK MY BIO PAGE. MOST UPDATES WILL BE NO LONGER THAN A WEEK.

Author Excuses: Anyhow, the reason being (a couple days late) was that I was, indeed, grounded for the duration of Wednesday. But due to my insanely annoying begging, my mom grounded me for four more days . Thus, I had to finish today (Sunday) instead. I really should stop arguing with my mom so much…

Author Appreciation to Readers: I'd like to say how happy I was to pass the 1,000 hit mark (1,136 hits!!) and also in receiving thirty-four reviews. Thank you everyone who has been reading and please don't stop!! n.n Really, though, I'm a very happy author.

Small Author Rambling: Wow… I just noticed that the titles of each of my chapters all begin with 'Con' of some sort… Consumed, Consolation, Confusion, Conspiracy… yikes! Well… guess I'll stay with the pattern O.o

Not too much to say this time around! Here's the key (if forgotten):

"Spoken words"

'Thinking'

Hikari to Yami

Yami to Hikari

With that aside, here's chapter five fresh out of the oven! n.n'

########

          Title: Ai No Ejiki

          (Victim of Love)

          Author: Suki No Hikari

          Rating: PG-13 (you should know why by now!)

Recap: Bakura realized what he had done and snapped out of his small trance. "Nothing, weakling. I didn't say anything," he growled and Ryou shrugged. Right now Ryou wished more than ever that he could glimpse into Bakura's eyes; he could always tell what he was thinking just by looking at them. Something told Ryou that Bakura was hiding some issues deep within himself and that Ryou was finally starting to uncover them. Perhaps an angel really was shining down on Bakura, why else would he become so open?

Ryou smiled to himself. _'Well, I guess a couple good things came out of being blind after all.'_

########

Chapter Five : Concern

          After at least ten minutes of waiting for the tri-haired duo, the two finally returned to the table, earning a skeptical look from the former tomb robber. As they sat down, Ryou glanced up, realizing they were back.

          "What took you guys so long?" Ryou wondered. Yugi shrugged, not like Ryou could see it anyway, and muttered a 'nothing'. Ryou then remembered he had already tried to forget the possibilities. "So we're all done with our ice cream then? Do you want to start heading back?" Ryou suggested.

          Yami and Yugi gave each other nervous glances. "Umm… actually, I think Yami wants another hot fudge sundae!" Yugi told them quickly. Yami sighed deeply, not really wanting another one, but knowing he must keep up the little charade. Bakura narrowed his eyes.

          "Sure doesn't look like he wants another one," Bakura muttered suspiciously. Yami glared.

          "How would you know, baka Tomb Robber?"

          "Well you just huffed like you didn't want one, idiot Pharaoh!"

          "Why do you care if I huffed or not? When did you start becoming so observant anyways?"

          "Why does it matter? It's obvious you're up to something!"

          "What makes you think that?! Just bec-"

          "STOP ALREADY!" Yugi shouted, breaking up the argument. "Can you two ever have a civil conversation… ever?!" The two taller teens looked incredulous at the thought and even Ryou was shaking his head no.

          "Face it, Yugi, as long as those two have the ability to talk, they'll fight with each other," Ryou, smiling, told the small teen. Bakura gave Ryou an indignant look and crossed his arms over his chest, making a 'humph' sound. After a couple minutes more of waiting, Yami received his new ice cream sundae. Ryou and Yugi were in a conversation about duel monsters while Bakura was relaxing with his eyes closed.

          "When was the last time you played, anyway?" Yugi put his elbows on the table, anticipating the answer.

          "Umm… I stopped when I moved. I really didn't have anyone to play it with anymore. Bakura never liked playing with me because I lost so easily. So I guess like two years? I don't know, really," Ryou replied truthfully. Yugi shrugged.

          "Well, the next time I come in town, I'll bring my cards and we can have a friendly duel, okay?" Yugi suggested with a smile. Ryou laughed and agreed willingly. He was about to say something else, but was interrupted by singing. Ryou furrowed his eyebrows… who was singing?

          "Have a happy, happy engagement! May your marriage be filled with laughter and fun as well as bundles of love!" The voice sang out. Bakura searched for the owner of the squeaky voice, feeling as if he wanted to punch this guy. Or girl.

He was interrupted when, all of a sudden, a waitress came up in front of the four teens' table with a small ice cream cake. It had light blue frosting letters saying, "Good Luck with Your Marriage!" Meanwhile, the singing kept going; the lyrics filled with nothing more than nonsense. Bakura felt like he was going to puke. But his great sense of confusion overwhelmed that feeling, thankfully. Yugi and Yami appeared just as shocked as well.

          "Congratulations, Bakura and Ryou on your engagement," the waitress said politely and Bakura, coughing, nearly fainted. Needless to say, both teens turned a very bright red. Yami and Yugi shared a high five under the table, unseen by Bakura and Ryou. They were too busy gawking.

          "We're not engaged woman!" Bakura yelled angrily, shooting daggers at the waitress.

          She just giggled and said, "Aww. Don't worry, this restaurant isn't judgmental about that kind of stuff."

          Bakura growled. "About what kind of stuff?!"

          The waitress leaned in. "Oh, you know, homosexual marriages. It's okay, we support you!"

          Bakura blushed harder. "I'M NOT GETTING A HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE WOMAN!" The waitress backed off a little bit and laughed again.

          "Aww, how cute. Denial isn't the answer, though! Who cares about being homosexual? If other people can't handle it, then that's their problem! No need to say you aren't getting married! Plus, you might hurt your fiancé's feelings, saying things like that." With that, she scurried off along with another waiter who had apparently been doing the singing. Bakura started getting up to go after them and strangle either one, or both. He became stalled, however, by a small pale hand touching his own.

          "Please, don't Bakura," Ryou pleaded softly. Bakura glanced at his small hikari, cheeks tinted pink. He avoided the urge to hug the angel and glared instead.

          "Why not?! Those idiots thought they could make a fool of me!" Bakura protested. Yami coughed.

          "Don't you think you're making a big deal out of this, tomb robber? Wouldn't it be wise to find out who pulled this prank?" Yami suggested, knowing very well who did.

          Bakura glared at the other teen, and Yugi, sensing the rise of tension, spoke up. "How about we just forget this happened and eat the cake, okay?"

          Ryou mumbled an agreement and Bakura sat back sulking, mumbling a 'whatever'. Without any other arguments, the two tri-haired teens started eating the cake. Ryou's thoughts were somewhere else, however.

          _'Who would have thought that… Bakura… and… me? I mean… Bakura and I… I mean, gah! Forget it, school's over now.'_ Ryou frowned slightly._ 'Who cares, right? Just because that someone thought that we were engaged is no reason to get all… flustered about it. Why do I care? I _hate_ my yami. Right?'_ Ryou exhaled softly._ 'But… I wonder what Bakura's thinking right now. I wish I knew... but ever since he completely severed the mind link…'_ Ryou sighed deeply and his gaze dropped to his lap. Or the blur he assumed was his lap.

          "Do you want that stupid food, weakling?" came a gruff voice, waking Ryou out of his trance. He looked to the right of him and tried to see Bakura._ 'What does he mean by that? What food…oh. Wait a second…! He's offering me cake? What the…?'_ Ryou was, to say the least, stunned… and he just realized that he was probably gaping like an idiot.

          "Um, sure," Ryou responded softly and gave Bakura a small smile. Bakura felt the tiniest bit of heat rise to his cheeks, but he tried to suppress it. The two tri-haired teens shared knowing looks. He took a fork and gently cut into the slowly melting cake.

          "Open," Bakura muttered curtly and Ryou obeyed, feeling some cake fall onto his tongue. He smiled at the good taste and swallowed before opening again.

          "Aw, how precious. Bakura is feeding his hikari," Yami exclaimed, smirking. Yugi elbowed him in the rib cage. Yami glared.

          What was that for??

          Don't provoke him! It'll ruin their moment!

          Yami realized his mistake and was lucky to see that Bakura had ignored him. That, or he became too engrossed in what he was already doing that he hadn't paid attention to the other yami.

          How much did you pay those two workers anyway? They even… _sang_! Yami noted this with much annoyance.

          Well, it worked, didn't it? So it doesn't matter how much I paid them. Good thing they had extra cakes in storage, however. Otherwise it might have been a bit spurious.

          Yami furrowed his eyebrows. A bit… what?

          Yugi just rolled his eyes and giggled softly, turning his attention back to the other yami and hikari. Ryou opened his mouth again, Bakura giving the appearance of a mother feeding her child. Yugi snickered at the mental image.

Ryou consumed another piece and smiled brightly. "Thanks so much Bakura." The yami grunted and fed the white-haired teen another piece.

On the way home…

          Yugi, Yami, Ryou and Bakura came within meters of the house, Bakura leading his hikari. Ryou frowned, thinking the clouds had covered up the sun since his vision had darkened a bit and he was no longer warm. Well, all except for his hand that was enclosed within Bakura's, which made Ryou blush once more. Yami and Yugi stopped at the porch and Bakura turned Ryou around to face them.

          "Are you incapable of walking any further or something?" Bakura growled.

          Yugi sighed. "Well, we should probably get going."

Ryou's eyes went large. "Already?! But you've only been here for a few hours! I thought you guys were going to stay longer. I don't mean to be selfish but, it's just… I haven't seen you two in so long… and I hated being lonely…" He trailed off, eyes getting watery.

What happened next was purely because of the weather… or the alignment of the stars… or a blue moon! Well, that's what Bakura decided to think of it of. Because the shocked gasp Ryou produced when Bakura had dared to squeeze his hand reassuringly was enough to make the former tomb robber's heart race. Ryou flicked his unclear gaze up to Bakura in utmost shock. A tint of pink ran over the yami's cheeks and the two tri-haired teens smiled consciously.

"I'm sorry, Ryou but we should seriously be going. I told my grandpa we'd be back by eight o' clock tonight and it's roughly a three hour drive home. Plus, it appears that there's a storm coming," Yugi mentioned, looking at the dark sky to the west. Ryou's furrowed his eyebrows and tried to hide the great amount of fear rising in him.

"Oh, I- I didn't see that," Ryou told them quietly.

Yugi laughed. "Well, if you did it would be a medical miracle, don't you think?" Ryou blushed from embarrassment and nodded. He suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him, encircling him in a hug. He broke his hand contact with Bakura to hug Yugi back.

"Stay safe," Ryou mumbled and Yugi smiled.

"You too. Don't go off getting married either. For all me and Yami know, that little prank at the ice cream parlor might have been true."

(AN: I'm aware that I used improper grammar but I think 'Yami and I' in normal speech might have sounded awkward. Most people still don't use that and it's one of my pet peeves… -.-)

          Ryou laughed, breaking the hug, and looked at Bakura. "_I_ had no idea. Yami, is there something you haven't told me?"

          Bakura, who had been previously tuning out the conversation, created an extremely intelligent, "huh?" Ryou shook his head in surrender. "Never mind, never mind." Bakura frowned and presented his hikari with a questioning look.

          "Well, I guess we should be heading off," Yugi stated hesitantly. Ryou nodded glumly and put on a fake smile.

          "It was great to see you guys again. Don't be afraid to visit!" Ryou yelled as he heard Yami and Yugi begin to retreat to their car.

          Yugi started to wave goodbye but then grasped the fact that Ryou couldn't see it anyway. "Well, I'm waving goodbye now! You better wave back!" Ryou laughed at Yugi's statement and waved to where he heard the car starting. Bakura saw Yami poke his head out of the window and give him a menacing glare.

          "Remember tomb robber! I'm watching you!" Yami shouted threateningly and Bakura glared right back, having an urge to shout an obscenity at him. Resisting the urge, he watched the two drive off, headed east, away from the looming ominous clouds.

A half hour later…

          After Bakura and Ryou had returned inside the house, the taller teen had promptly gone upstairs (to do what, Ryou didn't know) while the smaller of the two sat down listening to television. It had become darker in the past hour, even though it was only about six o'clock. From the faint drumming on the window behind the couch, Ryou guessed it was raining outside. He couldn't really tell what channel he was on most of the time, so he had settled for a news station. Ryou didn't let anyone know, especially Bakura, but he had a distinct disliking for storms. Hoping that the clouds Yugi was talking about were just for rain, Ryou sighed deeply and tried to put that off his mind.

          The big news story was about some sort of killer that had escaped from jail up near Tokyo about two weeks ago. "This man is highly dangerous. The best thing you can do is to stay indoors after dark until he is caught. I repeat, this man is highly dangerous. Recent sightings have been near Nanko, Mikazuki and Kozuki among other cities in the western Hyogo Prefecture. If you live in this area, we advise you to take extreme precaution. We believe he is getting help from other suspects and he is using a Ford pickup as a method of transportation. Please stay tuned for more information. Right now there is impending news from the weather desk."

          Ryou's heart started to race at the news story. Mikazuki wasn't too far from where he was currently living, a city called Shingu, located in western Hyogo. Ryou panicked. Along with storms, the second most frightening things for him were murderers. Well, not murderers in general, but the possibility of one coming into your house and killing you, not even letting you have a chance to blink. Ryou whimpered softly. _'As long as I stay inside, I'll be fine.'_

(AN: This took me a lot of researching but if you want to see a map of the Hyogo Prefecture, go to http:www.sabine.ca/map-hyogo.html. I apologize if any of this is incorrect! Please don't flame me for it because I DON'T LIVE IN JAPAN! Nor have I ever been there! .)

          As he continued to listen to the weather forecast, his fears were increased. "As you can see from this Doppler radar, there is a large storm system heading northwest towards cities of Kamigori, Tatsuno, and Aioi. It will be near Shingu within the next ten minutes, the worst of the storm advancing on the outskirts of the city. There has been a severe thunderstorm warning set in effect for Kamigori, Aioi, and Shingu. Shingu is also under a tornado watch at this point in time as well. Tornados are highly dangerous. Get to a basement or an enclosed room with no windows, such as a bathroom. If you are outdoors, get into a small ditch, crouch down and put your hands over your head. Take excessive precautions. Now back to our normally scheduled news."

          Ryou turned off the television and took a couple deep breaths. _'Okay. It's fine. I'm not in the direct path of the storm and tornados are rare around this area. So, I'm safe, right?'_ Ryou shuddered. _'But… the last time I was in a thunderstorm this bad… Dad was still alive and he comforted me. Now… I have no one… and I can't see a thing!'_ The white-haired teen pulled his knees up to his stomach, scooting farther back into the couch. _'It's okay. I'll be fine.'_ Ryou closed his eyes and tried to block out all his thoughts.

          About five minutes later, the first sign of thunder began to rumble. Since Ryou could barely see when there was lightening, he didn't have the ability to count the seconds to see how far away the storm was. All of a sudden, he faintly made out a very bright flash of lightening. Knowing very well that it meant a considerable thunder was going to come after it, Ryou clasped his hands over his ears quickly. For a while nothing really happened until a loud crack pierced the silence. Ryou, who hadn't expected it to be that deafening or that sudden, let out a painful scream.

          Bakura, who had been currently resting in his bed (thinking of ways to further torment the mortals of the 21st century), sprung up at the thunder, heart racing and trying to suppress the shock he had received. Soon after, he heard a scared scream, immediately recognizing it as Ryou's. The next thing he knew, he had started running downstairs. He stopped, noticing what he had just done. _'Why did I…'_ Bakura shook his head. _'I… I just felt the need to protect my hikari, didn't I?'_ Bakura frowned._ 'Oh shit. I'm officially becoming the Pharaoh. Ra, what did I do to deserve this?'_

          Bakura snapped out of his thought process when he heard a soft whimper coming from the living room. He turned the corner, eyes wide at what he saw. Ryou was curled up into a tiny ball, tears streaming down his cheeks. _'So? I don't care. I'll just go back upstairs.'_ Suddenly, another boom sounded throughout the house and Bakura jumped. _'What the hell is happening?'_ Ryou began to sob harder as Bakura noticed he no longer had control of his body, and he started moving towards the couch.

          "Ryou?" Apparently he had no control over his mouth either. Ryou's head snapped up and looked in Bakura's general area.

          "B-Bakura? Is t-that you?" Ryou's voice cracked and Bakura's shell began to chip away. Bakura, not answering, instead sat on the couch next to the hikari. Ryou, feeling the presence, reached out a hand and touched Bakura's arm lightly.

          Bakura flicked him away, growling. "Don't touch me, weakling!" Ryou shook his head stubbornly and made contact with Bakura's arm once again. Bakura snarled and shook the intruding hand off for the second time. Tears began to flow freely down Ryou's cheeks as he reached out one more time.

          "P-Please Bakura…" Sobs broke most of the coherent speech but Ryou continued. "Just for t-tonight… I… I don't want to be alone… I'm really s-scared…" He broke out into uncontrollable trembling and Bakura's expression softened.

          _'This isn't happening! I'm not going soft!'_ Bakura thought to himself. _'He's just so… helpless. Why don't I beat him? He's being weak… why can't I bring myself to hit him? I don't care about what that damn Pharaoh said… I can't stand weakness!'_ Bakura's fist rose slowly as he started to pull it back, ready to strike. He was within inches of his hikari's face when Ryou let out a pleading whimper. Bakura stopped and realized he couldn't hit him. His fist dropped slowly and he regarded the smaller teen.

          Before Bakura even had a clear train of thought, he brought his arms down and wrapped them around the angel. Ryou let out a soft gasp but relaxed slowly as the seconds went by. _'This is STUPID! Why did I just do that?'_ Bakura thought doubtfully. But when Ryou's head fell softly upon his own chest, he instinctively pulled him closer, trying as best as he could to control his body. _'I don't care. It's only for one night and…it feels so…'_ Bakura stopped himself before even thinking those betraying words. He. Was. Not. Soft. NOT! 'N' plus 'O' equals NO! He was interrupted once again by an earsplitting crash.

          "What the hell is going on?!" Bakura growled softly and hugged Ryou tighter, feeling strangely calmed by being so close to his hikari.

          Ryou hiccupped and lifted his head from Bakura's damp shirt. "It's a th-thunderstorm…"

          "A what?!" Bakura muttered, thoroughly confused. He had never been through something like this in Egypt.

          "You… you didn't have a body before so you were always in y-your soul room when there were thunder…" Ryou exhaled deeply, calming himself. "… thunderstorms." Ryou let out a shaky breath. Bakura sensed that his hikari was having difficulty speaking due to his sobbing, so he resisted from asking any more questions. They would have to wait until later.

          Unexpectedly, a siren started to sound nearby, very loudly in fact. Ryou tensed up and jolted out of Bakura's embrace, eyes filled with horror.

          "Hikari… what's that sound?" Bakura requested uncertainly, afraid to know the answer. Ryou looked positively horrified.

          "Bakura… we have to get to the basement," Ryou told his yami, voice deathly severe.

          "But wh-"

          "NOW!" Ryou shouted and Bakura, reacting quickly, seized Ryou's hand, leading him off the couch and to the basement as fast as he could.

That made my heart race just writing that! I _hate_ those kinds of situations! ::shudder:: They scare the hell out of me! Aww… but wasn't a confused-not-able-to-control-his-body Bakura so kawaii?!

Bakura: Woman! YOU KEEP MAKING ME A FREAKING IDIOT!

Suki-chan: I know =n.n= Muahahaha… NOW! Quickly do the thank you's so I can post this! Oh and I missed two reviewers for chapter three when I posted chapter four thank you's so I'm going to post those too! Sorry!

Bakura: ::Growls::

Ones that I missed for chapter three reviewers:

Maedhros – I felt soooo bad when I totally missed your review and didn't reply last chapter because of what you said! So I'm replying now! Thanks so much for the review and I'm sorry I missed you!! Forgive me??

Lady-Wicca666 – Thanks so much for review! I'm so sorry I missed you! I felt awful! But thanks so much anyway! I hope you like my updates… they aren't too slow are they? (this is also for chapter four n.n) THANKS FOR BOTH REVIEWS! It keeps me writing!

Dark Magic 856 – I want a Ryou plushie!!! I will huggle it and name it Squishy! Or Ryou 'cause that would kind of make sense… lol. Your review put a smile on my face! Thanks so much!

Saffron-Starlight – Arigatou gozaimasu! Lol, but thanks! I'm glad you thought it was cute n.n

Carmen5-Nemrac – Aww thanks! I think I'll get used to it… maybe O.o I'm such a slow learner half the time u.u But thanks so very much for the review! ::glomps:: Yay! Me so very happy!

snow-shadow-wolf – Yay!! Someone appreciates my sometimes-lacking humor abilities! ::glomps:: Your reviews are definitely the most helpful to me and I look forward to getting them each time I update! Thank you so much for sticking with this story!

Enjeru – I hoped I updated soon enough! I was a teeny bit behind ::is ashamed:: BUT! I got it out nonetheless, right? Also, thank you SO SO much for putting me on your favorite authors list! That REALLY made my day!

Misori Chan – MY CLONE! I loved your review! Yes, I've been misled by all the other Bakura and Ryou fics where they make Bakura beat Ryou u.u ::very ashamed:: but I will have to fix it in my oncoming fictions, ne? Thanks so much for your help (and your piccies! ::cuddles them::) Yay! ::is unbearably happy::

Russle – I know! The whole hot fudge sundae image just goes with Yami, doesn't it? See! We connected O.o ::ohhh psychic waves:: Lol, but thanks SO much for your review! Yes, Bakura thinks an awful lot in this story, sadly. That SO doesn't suit him, ne? Bakura thinking?! ::triple gasp:: Lol but thanks again! I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS!! XD ::extreme happiness::

Suki-chan: Thanks to all of you so very much! You guys are what keep me inspired! I don't have too much to say so keep reading! And check my bio for updates for the next chapter!! n.n YAY!

3 Suki-chan 3

P.S. HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!! n.n


	6. Contemplation

Disclaimer: Read the last five chapter's disclaimer because I'm too lazy to write it here. =P

Author Ramblings: Wow, thanks so much everyone! I was completely amazed by all the responses I received on the last chapter! My total hits nearly doubled and my reviews reached an all time high! ::is sounding like some statistic worker… person O.o:: Yay! Thanks everyone so much!

Author Excuses: I'm two days late because I had to work on both Monday and Wednesday and on Tuesday (when I had planned to write it), my friend decided that she wanted me to sleepover… ::sweatdrop: So yeah. Just two days guys, c'mon!

That's all for now (I want to get this chapter finished! HOO YAH!), so ON WITH THE STORY! … gah! I'm seriously running out of 'con's for my chapter titles!

Key:

"Spoken words"

'Thinking'

Hikari to Yami

Yami to Hikari

########

Title: Ai No Ejiki

(Victim of Love)

Author: Suki No Hikari

Rating: PG-13

_Recap:_

_ "Bakura… we have to get to the basement," Ryou told his yami, voice deathly severe._

_ "But wh-"_

_ "NOW!" Ryou shouted and Bakura quickly seized Ryou's hand, leading him off the couch and to the basement as fast as he could._

#######

Chapter Six : Contemplation

The two teens rushed down the stairs and Ryou told Bakura to move to the part of the basement furthest away from the windows. So, Bakura led the pair into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. There was a small window above the toilet, but Bakura figured it was safer than being in the main part of the basement with even bigger windows.

"Is this a good place?" Bakura inquired and Ryou nodded, knowing where they were. In this time of confusion for Bakura, he wasn't about to be the cold, unfeeling millennium spirit he normally was.

"Let's get into the bathtub," Ryou instructed. Bakura furrowed his eyebrows in uncertainty, but obeyed his hikari nonetheless. The two sat down on opposite sides of the porcelain tub, to make more room. The storm continued to rage outside – Bakura could tell from looking out the miniature window.

"What's going on, hikari?" Bakura requested softly, trying not to let any fear seep through. _'I'm the king of thieves! I should NOT have any fear. Never.'_ Bakura scrunched up his face in debate. _'But… this is so different from back in Egypt. I always knew what was going on… and how to live… everything's so uncommon here. Just like… all these damn emotions. Happiness, fear, concern and… other things. I shouldn't be feeling them!!'_

Ryou coughed. "Bakura, are you listening?" Bakura snapped out of it and replied with a "Huh?"

"You asked the question, baka! Listen if you want an answer!"

Bakura glared. "DON'T CALL ME A BAKA!" He proclaimed angrily.

Ryou frowned at his yami. "Do you want to know what's going on or not?"

Bakura crossed his arms on his chest and fell into silence. Ryou took the non-existent reply to continue. "Those sirens you heard were tornado sirens."

"Ter-nay-who?" Bakura sounded out, confused.

"TOR-NA-DO," Ryou corrected. "They're these big funnel things. The larger a tornado is, the more destruction it causes. But I think since the storm is still going, that we're okay for now. Tornados normally start during the calm of the storm. Basically, at the beginning or the ending of a thunderstorm. It's rare to have a tornado in the middle of a storm."

Bakura listened patiently and nodded if he understood. "So why are we in your basement… in a bathtub?"

"Bakura, tornados are deadly. They can tear apart houses, shatter windows, and pull cars hundreds of feet into the air! This is the safest place to be during a tornado, trust me." Ryou informed him seriously.

Bakura's eye glinted. "Hundreds of feet, eh? These things might not be too bad… how can I control one?"

"Bakura!" Ryou whined, forgetting the potential danger for the moment. "This isn't like in Egypt, nor can you control any tornados!"

The yami frowned. "Damn…"

Ryou shook his head despairingly. "Sorry yami, you can't control nature. I'm telling you, these things are fatal. Don't try going out and fighting it either. You can't fight mother nature, okay?"

Bakura made a sound of protest. "That isn't true! Back in Egypt, I could fight everything!" His face lit up in remembrance. "I lived through a sandstorm when I was twelve!" Ryou raised his eyebrows disbelievingly. Bakura stood up in the bathtub, reenacting the scene even though Ryou was not capable of seeing it. "See, I didn't know that my dad had gone back in the house, so I continued going to gather water. I had to walk miles across that desert to get to the Nile and I did it every day. So, I was just starting out and all of a sudden, I hear this faint rumbling…"

Ryou smiled to himself, listening. _'Bakura's so happy when he talks about his past. It's a side of him I've never seen… err… heard before. I wish he acted like this all the time.'_ Ryou felt warmth crawl up his spine at Bakura's openness._ Maybe… maybe he is likable. Maybe… maybe I'm falling in like with Bakura…'_

Ryou shook his head, clearing those thoughts and scowled. _'But… after all he's done… how can I possibly think that? No. I'll never forgive him for what he's done. He's scarred me more than any other person ever would have. I'll hate him until the end of time.'_ Ryou sighed deeply. _'But for some reason, I just don't feel like I hate him that much anymore. I know it's there, all in my mind, but my heart isn't in it…'_ Ryou started to pay attention again, emptying his mind. _'I hope he tells me more stories like this.'_

"… so I survived. But I could have done it without the water pail, even. I was really strong when I was a kid." Bakura finished, nearly smiling. Ryou couldn't hide smile, despite how much hatred might have been in his thoughts. Silence enveloped the room; a calm and peaceful silence.

Ryou frowned. _'Wait a second…I can't hear anything…'_ Why couldn't he hear the storm again? [1] Ryou's eyes widened in realization, fear striking his heart full blast. "No…" Bakura looked down at his alarmed hikari. His sight immediately transferred to the window. _'Why is the sky so green like that? Does that mean…?'_

Ryou disrupted Bakura's thoughts. "Yami… sit down," he told Bakura, voice grave. Bakura slid back down into the tub, watching Ryou. The poor teen was trembling uncontrollably, face deathly pale. Bakura, breath caught in his chest, felt a small pull at his heart.

"Ryou…" Bakura started. The hikari gasped aloud from the sudden break in silence. _'Wait… did Bakura just call me… Ryou?'_ Bakura sighed and broke Ryou's confusion. "Why… why don't you… come sit by me?" Bakura stuttered out, face ablaze. _'What _am_ I doing?'_ Bakura questioned himself as Ryou slid over and sat on next to his yami, nearest to the wall of the bathtub.

All of a sudden, a small whirling noise rung out and Ryou made a small 'eep!' sound. As it became more deafening by the second, so did Ryou's trembling. Bakura turned to his hikari. Without a second thought, he gathered the shaking boy into his arms. Ryou's eyes widened in shock, before relaxing into the secure embrace.

_'Might as well screw the whole I'm-your-worst-nightmare yami thing now.'_ Bakura frowned. _'Who cares… I just want Ryou to be safe. What was I ever proving by beating up Ryou? That's not going to change the past… and it never will. Besides, he feels so warm… I think I like this feeling…'_

"Bakura, I'm scared," Ryou mumbled softly and Bakura felt warm liquid hit his bare arm. He reached up and wiped the tears gently from his hikari's face.

Bakura pulled the small boy into his chest, so that Ryou was facing the bathtub wall while Bakura's back sheltered him in case something flew at them. "Shh… it'll be okay. I'll… I'll protect you." Bakura felt like he had just said the hardest sentence in his life. He was showing weakness… but for some reason, he didn't care right now.

Ryou couldn't believe his ears. His heart felt like it was going to explode. From what emotion, Ryou wasn't able to tell. But it sure was not hatred. Had Bakura just said those words? Was he dreaming? Bakura protecting him...? It seemed all so surreal. _'Bakura is… not hurting me…? I mean… he's worried about me? This doesn't seem right. Tonight was another night he was supposed to be beating me… but now he's protecting me?'_ Ryou shivered, as tears continued to run down his cheeks. He could think about that later. The whirling noise was almost unbearable now.

Suddenly, the bathroom window shattered and Ryou screamed, nearly sobbing from fear. The yami felt small shards flying into his back, but ignored them. Bakura held onto his hikari tighter, fearing that if he didn't, the flying glass would hit Ryou as well. Bakura buried his face into the smaller teen's hair, getting as close as possible. They were going to brave this storm together.

(AN: That would have been such a cool way to end the chapter!! T.T But it has only been four pages… poo…)

Twenty minutes later…

The wind had died down after awhile. Besides the window shattering, no more damage was done in the bathroom. The two teens stayed in the bathtub until it seemed like the worst of it was over. Ryou considered himself lucky, he didn't think the tornado had hit his house at all. Bakura had held onto Ryou the entire time, and by now, the small hikari had become quite red in the face.

"Umm… I think it's over Bakura… you can let go now…" Ryou began meekly. Bakura started to get up but stopped after a little movement, wincing. "Bakura? What's wrong?"

Bakura let out a low growl. "Damn glass in my back…" Ryou's eyes widened in surprise.

"How much is there? Do you want to go to the hospital?" Ryou asked frantically.

"Don't take me to that damn white place again. I'm fine," Bakura told his hikari. With that, he stood up and extended a hand for Ryou as well.

Taking his hand, Ryou stood up and looked at him skeptically. "You're not fine! I can tell! Let me see your back," Ryou ordered.

"But you _can't_ see-" Bakura protested.

"Just turn around!" Ryou shouted and Bakura turned around, more than a bit confused. Ryou couldn't see – Bakura was right about that – but he still had the general idea of where his yami's back was. With a feather light touch, Ryou started to run his fingers across Bakura's back. He felt where some of the glass had gone through Bakura's thin shirt and where little shards might have been. The yami suddenly stepped away and Ryou looked in his area, startled.

"Stop touching me. I can take care of myself!" Bakura snarled and began to get out of the bathtub, taking Ryou with him. The smaller teen stayed quiet as Bakura led him upstairs. They opened the basement door and Ryou wished that he could see now more than ever.

"Is everything okay?" Ryou questioned softly.

Bakura looked around. Papers had flown about the living room and the kitchen had become quite messy because a window had been left open. Other than that, no crucial damage was done.

"It's fine," Bakura answered curtly. He could hear Ryou let out a sigh of relief. Bakura's back had been throbbing quite painfully and he knew his shirt was probably bloody but he wasn't about to admit the weakness. _'Might as well deal with it…'_

"Bakura… can I… I mean… will you let me mend your back?" Ryou asked, voice no louder than a whisper.

"How would you do that?" Bakura growled, skeptical.

"Just trust me, okay? I don't want you hurt. Please… just let me?" Ryou begged softly and Bakura sighed in defeat. His back _was_ hurting pretty badly.

"Fine."

Ryou smiled slightly. "Okay go lay down on your stomach on the couch and take off your shirt. I'll go get a wet cloth and some band-aids."

Bakura did as he was told, briefly wondering how the heck Ryou would be able to do this, but rested on the couch nonetheless. If obeying his hikari happened to be the only way to get the glass shards out of his back, then he might as well not complain. He took off his shirt with as much delicacy as possible, groaning from the dull pain of the shards moving with the fabric.

Ryou came out of the kitchen with his supplies and took a seat near Bakura on the couch. Bakura, who was lying on his back, closed his eyes in bliss when the cool rag touched the damaged skin.

"Is that a good temperature?" Ryou questioned, running the rag across Bakura's arm. Or what felt like his arm at least. Bakura sighed deeply and Ryou assumed that it was a yes.

Ryou removed the cloth from Bakura's arm and began to trail his fingers along the other teen's back in search of a shard. Once he had found one embedded, he gently took the tweezers he had brought and, keeping his index finger on the shard, swiftly removed it. Bakura gave a slight wince, but calmed at the feeling of the cloth over the small wound. Ryou ran his thumb over his index finger, realizing the blood resting there.

_ 'He's bleeding pretty badly… and there are so many of these cuts. Bakura… he is so strong.'_ Ryou smiled to himself at this thought. _'He… did this all for me. He suffered …to protect me.'_ Ryou frowned as he felt tears stinging his eyes. _'But… why? He hates me… and… I hate him… so how come everything is changing?'_ Ryou blinked, noting that he had been spacing out. The hikari promptly started to open a band-aid and applied it to Bakura's back. But the uneasy thoughts still lingered in the back of his mind.

An hour later…

It had been a long and tedious process to get every shard out of Bakura's back, Ryou noted. The yami had to even help Ryou pinpoint the spot of a shard a couple of times. But it all worked, nonetheless, and Ryou could tell Bakura was grateful even if he dared not to say it.

"Feeling better?" Ryou asked shyly casting a side-glance in Bakura's general area. Bakura grunted and Ryou smiled slightly. "Good…" Ryou could hear a faint murmur in response. "I'm sorry… umm… did you say something?"

Bakura frowned and repeated what he had said, a bit louder. Ryou still looked confused, obviously not catching what he said once again.

"Bakura… can you just say that –"

"I said thank you, damnit!" Bakura yelled, not very happy that he had to say it at all.

Ryou smiled brightly. "You're welcome. I was glad to help!"

Bakura stood up and began to leave. "Whatever." With that, he went upstairs and shut the door to his bedroom. Sighing, he fell back on the bed. _'Why… why does my chest hurt whenever I'm so cold to my hikari? This never happened before…'_ Bakura closed his eyes, trying to soothe an oncoming headache. _'I should just come out and tell him… that… I care for him.'_ A loud protest came from the back of his mind. _'Oh shut it! I don't care if I'm supposed to be cruel or that I should hit him instead of hugging him! I'm sick of it! I'm cold and bitter, is that what you're saying? Don't you get it? … I want to change… I don't want to be those things anymore. I'm so tired of being alone… I just want someone to care for like back in Egypt…'_ Bakura cleared his thoughts and rested on his side, falling slowly into a dreamless sleep.

Ryou heard the grandfather clock chime for the third time since his yami left him. He hadn't noticed how the time had passed – he was too busy thinking. Too busy finding more reasons to hate his yami than to embrace the new emotions trying to push through. So far, he had found many more reasons to hate him. Ryou didn't even notice the other presence that had just joined him until he heard it speak.

"Hikari, I need to talk to you. Now." Bakura's voice rang out, wit a bit of an edge. Ryou looked surprised but nodded for him to come over, anyway. Bakura ambled over to the couch an d sat next to the other white-haired teen. He took a deep breath and started.

"First of all, you can never repeat any of this to the Pharaoh. Ever." Ryou looked confused, suppressing a small laugh and nodded. Bakura growled softly, trying to stay his normal cold self, while still saying what he needed to say. "One. I want to protect you. Two. I care for you. Three. I'm trying to change. I am fucking not supposed to feel like this! I'm done." Bakura told him quickly. Ryou blinked at his instant speech. He noted that Bakura's voice held a sharp anger and for some reason, despite the malice in the words, Ryou felt that he wasn't lying. Bakura exhaled loudly and whispered, "I'm tired of being alone…"

Ryou's eyes widened at his words and his sincerity, never knowing his yami could _ever_ in a million years say the things he just said. Deep down, Ryou wanted to believe Bakura but his mind was yelling at him otherwise. _'It's just a trick, Ryou. He's going to tell you this bullshit and then beat you up when you least expect it. Don't believe him! He doesn't care for you! Even if he does, look at all he's done in the past! Can you really trust _his_ words? He's lying. He's lying. **He's lying.**'_

Ryou shook the happiness away and his fist curled up in anger. "What the hell, Bakura?! Don't feed me that crap! I don't want to hear it." A flash of hurt sped through Bakura's eyes. _'If he could only look at me, he'd see I was telling the truth… Ryou… believe me… believe me!'_

"I'm not lying, damnit!"

Ryou glared and stood up. "I don't care if you're lying or not! I can't trust you no matter what you say! You hurt me Bakura! I don't want you to protect me or care for me! I hate you. I hate you. _I hate you._" Ryou's voice dripped with utmost revulsion and Bakura could only gape at his infuriated hikari. He felt a sharp pain hit his chest, but Bakura ignored it.

"Fine. I don't care. You get along by yourself then, you fucking weakling!" Bakura spat, glaring before retreating back upstairs. Ryou breathed shakily, calming his fury, wondering why he felt like he had made a huge mistake. _'It was no mistake. I hate him and will always hate him. He can _never_ change my mind.'_

It had been nearly a week since that incident and Ryou had been forced to find things on his own. The tornado had caused minor destruction on houses a couple streets down so he had been busying himself with making food for those who were unable to attain it. After the incident, Bakura had locked himself within the Millennium Ring and Ryou decided not to try and get him out. He figured it would be better to give Bakura his space. For some reason, Yami figured out what had happened and had called Ryou about it. Ryou told the former pharaoh that it was fine and he would get along without the cold-hearted tomb robber.

Ryou's vision had greatly improved over the week, as well. Now he could pinpoint where things were, but it was just still a bit blurry. It was almost like when someone tries to open their eyes underwater, except without nearly as much difficulty.

Something was missing, however, and Ryou knew what that was. He was longing to be near his yami again. Ryou had been the minute he left the room that fateful day. But he couldn't help it. The pain he had caused in the past would haunt him for the rest of his life.

_'But, he protected you, remember? He's changing… can't you see?'_ A little voice in the back of Ryou's mind protested. _'Give him a chance…'_ Ryou frowned and answered. _'He never gave me one! Never… I begged him to stop beating me so many times… the bruises may fade, but the scars he's created will _never_ go away.'_ Ryou grimaced at the flashbacks and blocked away his thoughts. _'Never.'_

#########

That's it! I'm not really pleased with this chapter.... ::sighs:: Oh well.

[1] The signs of a tornado are like this (I know, I live in Wisconsin! Tornados can be quite frequent here!): 1.) Everything gets really calm (the storms stops) and it's quite eerie. 2.) The sky turns an abnormal color (green is one of the most usual colors) 3.) A loud whirling noise comes... most people say it sounds like a train. 4.) Ummm... TORNADO! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! ::sweatdrop::

K, onto author comments!

O-o-o-o-oh! How angsty, ne? Yes, Bakura is a bit OOC… actually a lot. But this is how I took the entire Bakura/Ryou situation. I had always thought that Bakura would be the one to fall for the gentle, kind-hearted Ryou and RYOU would be the one who could never fall in love because of the beatings.

I dunno, I always thought of it that way! Plus, according to Misori-chan (LOVE YA!), in the VERY FIRST season of Yuugiou (it never aired in the US), Bakura claimed that he actually cared for Ryou and hurting his friends was his way of protection (Bakura didn't trust them). Plus, there was never really any evidence during the series that Bakura beat Ryou (well… I'm not too positive on this actually). Still, there was that one episode where Bakura saved Ryou's life…

Okay, sorry about the ramblings… here's a list of thank you's! (Since the reviews are becoming more numerous, I'm just going to list your pennames!) THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!

Lady-Wicca666, Enjeru, saphire, Carmen5-Nemrac, SilverWing147 (_oh and yes, Yami _would_ be able to watch them… I'll clear that up later ::wink::_), ARTEMMIS, Sei Kou Ki, russle (_lol… gotta love the dramatic music)_, Mixed-Matched, Dark Magic 856, Raven Scorne (_I update normally once every week… I was a bit late for this chapter but normally I stay pretty much on time_) Ioa, Saffron-Starlight, Sarah Harvey, Misori Chan (_You're reviews always make me happy! ::big smiles::_), Princess Kat (_It's okay that you were late! I'm just glad you reviewed!_), cwthewolf, (_Meh… interesting penname ::sweatdrop:: Lol, jk!_)

WELL THANK YOU EVERYBODY! I hoped you liked this sad, Ryou-can't-stand-Bakura chapter!!

That's all for now! Review if you like!

3 Suki No Hikari 3


	7. Comprehension

Disclaimer: I don't own Yuugiou (I'm spelling it like that now! It actually takes a lot less time without the extra capitalization and hyphens [-]).

Author Ramblings: Thanks everyone once again! Your inspiration through your reviews helped me to get this out! I love you all so much! 2,366 hits! Yay! At least people are reading this story!

Author Reasons: Why did I get this out so fast you ask? Well, it's because I NEED to finish this by the end of the summer so I can get my plot bunnies rolling on another fanfiction of Bakura and Ryou! Duh. Heh… ::sweatdrop:: Also, my reviewers inspired me so much! And the plot bunny came for a visit and gave me sweet pocky boxes full of nice ideas! n.n

I'm done, don't want to waste too much space! If you need to see the key again (don't know why you would unless you start reading my story at this chapter O.o), then go back a chapter. I'll post it again on chapter eight, just in case.

**WARNING: This chapter will probably contain lots of descriptive paragraphs (personally I _hate_ reading those kinds) but still read them! I'm just warning you that the first five paragraphs might be kind of ongoing but they're short, so it shouldn't be _too_ bad.**

######

Title: Ai No Ejiki

(Victim of Love)

Author: Suki No Hikari

Rating: PG-13

######

Recap:

'But, he protected you, remember? He's changing… can't you see?'_ A little voice in the back of Ryou's mind protested. _'Give him a chance…'_ Ryou frowned and answered_. 'He never gave me one! Never… I begged him to stop beating me so many times… the bruises may fade, but the scars he's created will never go away.'_ Ryou grimaced at the flashbacks and blocked away his thoughts. _'Never.'__

######

Chapter Seven : Comprehension

Bakura's Point of View:

I flopped down on the bed of my soul room, trying to clear the upsetting things I've seen the past couple of days. I don't know many things about how to calculate time, but I know I've been in this ring for a while now. A week, was that Ryou called it? Ryou… I've found out so many things about you… and in the worse possible way. I can't believe I actually _did_ that. It scares me to remember, but I shouldn't lock it away and forget, either. My heart feels like it has stopped and my lungs are no longer taking in air, but I know I'm breathing fine. But I bet I didn't breathe at all two days ago… when I saw it. When I saw him.

-------

Normal Point of View

_ Bakura started to pace around his soul room, Ryou's words still buzzing in his ears from four days ago. '_He hates me…'_ Bakura thought to himself, entwining some fingers in his messy hair. _'He truly _loathes_ me.'_ The distraught yami fell to his knees. _'I didn't want it to be like this! I wasn't supposed to go soft… but I did. I wasn't supposed to tell Ryou anything… but I did. I never realized three words could hurt so much.'_ Bakura shook his head, chasing away Ryou's face that was flashing behind his closed eyes. Utmost hatred. What other words could describe such a look? Bakura pounded his fist against the ground once before swiftly standing up._

_ He looked around his soul room. Weapons, blood, but most of all, darkness. Pitch black darkness. It all surrounded him. Taunting him. "Look what you've done!" it seemed to say. "You've become me… you've become the extreme darkness. Just because you couldn't live with your past…" Blocking out the ruthless echoes, Bakura kept searching; he knew there must be light here somewhere. So he searched, groping through the darkness until he found a door. A small wooden door, barely as tall as he was. Bakura opened it slowly – cautiously – and watched as a faint light began to fill his soul room. Looking inside, he saw that it was only a tiny, completely white painted room. And right in the middle of this small white room that emitted such light, was his one and only hikari. Well, not his _real_ one – this was an illusion._

_ Bakura looked at the sweet Ryou. With wings spreading from his back, resting on the soft ground. _'I knew it was here somewhere. Ryou has become the only light in my dark soul right now.' _Bakura smiled. A true, genuine smile. A smile directed right at this Ryou. _'He really is an angel.' _Bakura's smile faded. _'I can't let him go this easily. I need to know what I can do to stop him from hating me.' Bakura thought to himself.

(AN: This next part was SUPPOSED to be italized, but for some reason, the quick edit wouldn't let me do it. So we're still apart of the flashback here! Anything between the two '-----'s is a flashback, okay?)

Without another thought, Bakura closed the miniature door, knowing that the angel could never actually be the true Ryou. However, that didn't matter because he knew what he had to do. Bakura explored his soul room, trying to find a way out. He came upon a tall, black gate - to go with the décor of his room, he figured. Opening it, he gazed out into a hallway. Nothing special. Just… a hallway. He knew where he was; he'd traveled around here before. Bakura turned left and started to head for Ryou's soul room.

_ Bakura found Ryou's entrance, a rusted, solemn-looking iron gate. Of course, he'd never actually been in this room before. Before Bakura had received his own body, Ryou had always carried the Millennium Ring around with him and kept this room locked at all times. It carried his thoughts, his secrets, and his _heart_. Plus, at the time, Bakura hadn't really cared to venture in here. He opened the gate slowly, noting that yes, indeed, it was unlocked. The threat of Bakura actually coming in the place must've been eased up a bit with recent events. Ryou's overall thoughts still traveled in this room, but not directly from him. It was more of his emotions, really._

_ Stepping in, he was surprised to see how very un-Ryou-like the room was. _Very._ The walls were black, with what looked like red paint running down in long streaks down to the floor. _'It looks like…'_ Bakura cringed. _'… blood.'_ Until that moment, he hadn't noticed the small figure sitting on the diminutive, tattered bed._

_ Bakura's eyes went wide seeing a small white-haired boy, sitting on the bed, staring out a window at a dark, gray sky. But that wasn't what was shocking him. Bakura stared at the child, lacking a shirt, he might add. His back was covered in scars, bruises, and open, bleeding cuts. The blood cascaded down the white-haired boy's back, never ending, never ceasing. It wasn't only his back, however. His arms had deep gashes and the small teen trembled, a pale finger reaching out to touch the blood on his left arm, before settling itself in his lap again. It seemed so tragic._

_ That was when Bakura realized it. This was the inner-Ryou. This is what his heart and soul looked like. All his inner emotions and feelings packed within this soul boy. This younger, vulnerable Ryou. And suddenly, Bakura couldn't breathe. He squeezed his eyes shut, making sure his lungs were actually working. Bakura took a deep breath._

_ "Ryou?" Bakura called out softly, finding it hard to locate his voice. The small boy, only about ten years old, jumped and his hands jolted to clasp around his upper arms, in a frightened position. However, he didn't turn around._

_ "Who's there? G-Go a-away p-please." It was barely above a whisper, but Bakura caught it, loud and clear._

_ "It's Bakura. Your yami."_

_ The smaller Ryou leaped off the bed, facing Bakura. The yami noticed his jeans – slashed about twenty times with whip-like cuts letting blood seep through the holes. The boy 'eeped', noticing the taller yami, eyes widening, and he backed up to the wall, sliding down it slowly. The boy brought his legs to his knees quickly and began shaking to the point where Bakura thought he might die. Bakura took a step forward, wanting to calm the child._

_ "NO!" It was a loud, blood-curling scream. Bakura's heart stopped at the desperation and sorrow in that one small word. "Stay away!"_

_ Bakura blinked, taking all this in. It was unbearable. "I won't hurt you. I promise," the yami proclaimed softly, tenderness in his words._

_ "No! I don't trust you! You… you hurt me!" The boy curled up tighter and squeezed his eyes shut, tears running freely from them. "Stop hurting me…"_

_ Bakura was confused. "Who gave you all those cuts?" He asked, changing the subject. The boy looked up slowly, bewilderment etched across his features._

_ "D-don't you r-remember? Y-you did this…" the boy told Bakura meekly._

_ "No I didn't… did I?" Bakura wondered aloud. The boy blinked a couple times._

_ "You've been doing it for y-years! H-how could you forget?" Bakura's eyes grew large as it hit him. Every time… every time he beat Ryou… this is what happened to his heart… to this small boy. The wounds never stopped bleeding… Bakura's beatings still remained locked far away… in this small child. Bakura could feel himself shudder. _'What have I done?'

_ Bakura gazed at the small child, who was still trembling. "Is there anything I can do?"_

_ The child blinked, pausing to look at Bakura closely. "You… you can't be _my_ yami… who are you?"_

_ "I'm… Bakura." The child shook his head. _

"You can't be! My yami was very mean to me. My yami hurt me and his eyes were always so dark and scary! But your eyes… your eyes are kind… I like your eyes. They're pretty," the little Ryou mused, smiling softly. Bakura considered the child's words.

_ "Would you like for me to tell you a story, Ryou?" Bakura requested softly. The child's eyes lit up and his face broke into a smile._

_ "Really? Really?! I love stories!" Bakura nodded and the child stood up quickly, as if the wounds weren't affecting him at all. Bakura went and sat on the bed, where the child had situated himself. He examined the small Ryou, frowning. Bakura took off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around the boy, leaving him only in a t-shirt. The child smiled appreciatively and bounced on the bed._

_ "Tell me about Egypt! I love Egypt stories! Even though my yami was mean, he once told me a story about Egypt! It was really cool!" The child chirped happily and Bakura eyed the child, surprised. _'That must mean… somewhere deep within this child… Ryou must have enjoyed that story I told him. There's hope for me yet.'_ Bakura smirked slightly.  
_

_(AN: Same thing here... it wouldn't italsize damnit!)  
_

The little child giggled. "You're funny! Your face changes so fast!" Ryou then commenced in doing a show of funny faces. "You were like that! So many different Bakura faces!" Bakura smiled slightly.

"But you know, Bakura-san…" The child started softly. "I said bad things to my yami and now he's gone away. I feel lonely. I wish he would come back. He protected me and cared for me a couple days ago… and guess what happened? My cuts stopped bleeding! I was so happy. But for some reason… the feeling of being mad didn't go away…"

Bakura patted the child on his head, producing a small smile. Bakura understood now. "I think your yami is lonely too… and I think that Ryou should still give him a chance. If he protected Ryou, then he must care for him a lot. So much more than Ryou knows. I'm sure of it."

The child smiled. "I want to give him a chance! I really do! But… the cuts won't stop bleeding… and the scars still stay… I kind of want him to apologize…"

Bakura nodded. "I understand. So you wanted to hear a story about Egypt?" The child bounced again, nodding happily.

_ "Okay, I'll tell you a story about Egypt," Bakura replied softly and started._

-------

Bakura's Point of View

That had been for days ago, and that small kid has been visiting me ever since. I wondered how lonely it must be for him. Sitting everyday in the same melancholy room, bleeding, probably wishing the world would end. Is that how Ryou feels about his life? Did I cause this?

I shake my head gently, feeling my hair grow static from the sheets on the bed. These have been familiar thoughts to me lately and I know that the small Ryou is a direct result of what I have done. I never knew it was that bad. I never knew I scarred him so much. So, when I woke up this morning, I knew that I had to stop hiding. I have to face Ryou again and come out of this Millennium Ring.

"I said bad things to my yami and now he's gone away. I feel lonely. I wish he would come back. He protected me and cared for me a couple days ago… and guess what happened? My cuts stopped bleeding! I was so happy. But for some reason… the feeling of being mad didn't go away…"

Those words have been replaying in my head every hour of every day. I know that I just have to show Ryou that I'm worth giving a second chance. Ryou may not want to admit it, but that little child told me everything he wants to feel. Even though… he can't. Because I made him suffer and all those memories still remain.

I sat up, ready to finally leave. If Ryou still doesn't accept me after my apology, then I'll lock myself up in here. My affection for him has come to a point where I'd much rather see him happy than anything else. With that final thought, I exit the Millennium Ring.

Normal Point of View

It became a beautiful Tuesday morning as Ryou stretched and got out of bed. He looked over at his alarm clock and could distantly make out eight thirty something or other. Ryou beamed, realizing how fantastic it was to see again. _'Like they all say… you never really appreciate something until it's gone!'_ Ryou jumped out of bed and began to make his way downstairs. He really wanted some pancakes this morning! As he continued downstairs, he nearly gasped when he saw Bakura sitting on the living room couch.

"B-Bakura!" Ryou stuttered out, shocked that he had come out of the Millennium Ring. The yami looked up, just detecting the company at that moment, surprised also at how keen Ryou's eyesight had become over the past week.

"Hi… Ryou." Bakura spoke softly, not wanting to upset his hikari once again. "Umm… do you need any help with anything? I promise I'll stay out of your way."

Ryou's eyes went wide at the gentleness of his yami's tone. "S-sure! I was just going to make pancakes, in fact! Want to help?" Bakura nodded and stood up, heading for the kitchen. Ryou smiled happily, enjoying the company that he had been lacking the past week. Even if Bakura were a complete jerk at night, he would normally get civil conversations with him during the day. And, as much as Ryou hated to admit it, he had missed Bakura. Greatly.

"Okay!" Ryou hopped into the kitchen, strangely hyper for having been so mad before. "Pancakes, pancakes! Making pancakes! Blueberry, strawberry, chocolate chip! So many kinds of pancakes! Pancakes, pancakes! Making pancakes with Bakura!" Ryou sang and giggled sincerely when he finished. Bakura couldn't help but smile (again!) at his hikari's joy. This was truly the best feeling of all… to see the one you care for being happy.

Bakura stepped in the kitchen and waited for Ryou's instructions. "Alright yami, first we need to get the cooking supplies! We need a pan, a spatula, a mixing bowl, a measuring cup, and a measuring spoon! [1]"

Bakura looked at his hikari incredulously. "Umm… I've never heard of any of that before… and what the hell is a speculma?!" Ryou took a glance at his yami's confused face and broke out laughing. Suddenly, however, he stopped and covered his mouth with his hand, letting out a small gasp.

"Are you okay, hikari?" Bakura questioned, worriedly.

Ryou smiled softly. "That's the first time…"

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "The first time… what?"

Ryou shook his head, snapping out of his small daydream. "That was the first time I actually began laughing… I haven't laughed like that in forever…"

Bakura became slightly puzzled. "But you laughed before, right? When I played my video games sometimes…"

Ryou's face fell faintly. "I laughed but I never was really laughing. Any of those times… I was just trying to cheer myself up. I felt that if I giggled or snickered or anything… that it may actually help me to ease the pain. Those were always fake, and I could never bring myself to truly start laughing over anything. That's why… that's why it seemed so strange to me."

Bakura's lip twitched, trying to hide a piteous smile reaching his lips. "Ryou… I'm sorry. Everything I ever did… everything… I'm so god damn sorry Ryou." Bakura couldn't hold it in anymore, and small tears began to cascade down his cheeks. "I never meant for it to be that bad… I never saw how much… if I were in your shoes… I wouldn't live…" Bakura broke down, all the emotions from the past week letting themselves out.

Ryou stared down at his yami, who had fallen to his knees. _'Bakura… you're crying… I've never seen you cry… please don't cry for me… I don't want you to cry for me…'_ Ryou fell to his knees as well and wrapped an arm around Bakura, making a 'shhh' sound softly.

"It's okay Bakura… don't worry… it's fine…" Ryou whispered, trying to calm his darker half.

Bakura shook his head stubbornly. "No! It's not okay! It'll never be okay! All I did, I can never make up for it! And I'll never forgive myself for what I did to you!" The yami shuddered. "I can't bear it… that poor boy… your poor heart, Ryou… I… I… broke you…" Bakura's tears started dripping onto the ground, and his eyes opened, finally realizing that he was actually crying. "I haven't cried since…"

Bakura paused, leaving an uneasy silence. Ryou gazed at his yami questionably. "Since… when?"

Bakura wiped his eyes slowly, regaining his composure and exhaled deeply. "Since… Egypt."

Ryou's eyes enlarged at the mention of Bakura's past life. "Umm…do you… do you want to tell me about it?" Bakura glanced up at his hikari in silent inquiry. Ryou nodded reassuringly. The little boy's words suddenly rang in Bakura's ears again.

"Tell me about Egypt! I love Egypt stories! Even though my yami was mean, he once told me a story about Egypt! It was really cool!"

Bakura grasped both of Ryou's hands with his own and brought them both up into a standing position. Squeezing his hikari's hands comfortingly, Bakura responded with an, "Alright. I'll tell you all about what happened in Egypt before I came to know you. Before I was locked away. Before… my entire life was destroyed." Ryou nodded and Bakura led him over to the couch.

Bakura took a deep breath. "It all started during the biggest drought of the decade. [2] The Nile had become dryer and dryer, the water filthy and unable to drink without fire. My family, who prospered merely on selling crops, was in serious debt. We were already poor to begin with and we had no money for bread or wood for boiling water. I knew we were slowly dying, day-by-day. I watched my mom, my dad, and my sister all wither to almost nothing before my eyes." Ryou poked him suddenly, making Bakura jump.

"Sorry… I… umm… you… you had a sister?" Ryou asked softly and Bakura's face lit up in a warm smile.

"Yeah. She was so cute… at this time, I was seventeen and she was only nine, but I loved her very much. She was the only family I had besides my parents." Bakura spoke his words with tenderness and Ryou couldn't suppress his grin.

"What- what was her name?"

"Her name was Sagira, Egyptian for 'little one.'"

"Sagira… what a pretty name," Ryou mused. "I'm sorry you can keep going."

Bakura nodded and continued. "Well, I watched as my family became skinny and dehydrated and I knew I had to do something. That day was probably the first day of my tomb robber life. So, of course, without any proper training, I went into a tomb, completely unaware of what I was doing. I became caught by a snake trap and was bitten about three times. Nothing serious, however, and I came out with just a bloody leg. But I tried again and again."

"Some days, I actually did get in, to some of the poorer tombs, but I stole gold and sold it, nonetheless. Then, one horrible day…" Bakura flinched. "One day… I was caught." Bakura put his head in his hands and Ryou lightly started to rub his back soothingly. "You wouldn't believe what they did…"

The yami took a deep breath. "They murdered them. My family. Every single one and right before my eyes. I'm not going to tell you what they did; it's too horrible for words. But that day, my fate was sealed. I would never be the same again. I vowed that I would never care for anyone, so as to not risk anyone… and to not risk my heart. I became a great tomb robber from that day forward. I escaped all who opposed me… until the new Pharaoh arose."

"He couldn't counter me at first, but soon he learned my tricks, and sought me out. I was captured because of pure weakness… that day, I had been thinking of Sagira and the rest of my family. Not paying attention… and before I knew it, I had been locked away. My life discontinued from being anything worthwhile after that, and I eventually became sealed in the Millennium Ring. But I would never forget the day that I was caught from pure weakness. For having emotions… for missing my family…" Bakura sighed, voice trembling. "And… that's about it."

Ryou let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. "I-I see… so that's why…"

Bakura bowed his head solemnly. "That's why I beat you, Ryou. I was ashamed of my past… and I never took out my anger… so my mistakes… I took them out on you. And I'm sorry. You don't know how much I regret that now…"

Ryou tried to look in his yami's eyes, but was unsuccessful because of the fuzziness. Ryou sighed softly. _'Bakura… I never knew… if you had only told me sooner… I could have helped you. I don't want you to be hurt anymore. I don't want you to think you are hated by me… I'm the only one you have left.'_

##########

[1] Measuring spoon… does that make sense? I have a couple of them but I really don't know what they are called. O.o

[2] I have to admit… that was ALL made up! So don't flame me with corrections or what not… I KNOW it's not right (along the lines of Yuugiou at least). This is why I made the story _slightly AU_. Not everything is completely correct because I twisted things a bit (like the beatings and stuff… I don't think Bakura ever beats Ryou in the series…).

Chapter Reflections: I actually liked this chapter very much! I thought I really brought out Bakura's true side, with the Egypt story and all. I hope you all understand the whole boy Ryou thing… I think I made it pretty clear. As you can see, Bakura had some revelations of his own…

Author Comments: As far as thank you's go, I'm going to list them with SMALL descriptions. If your review was something like "I like this story, continue soon!", then I'm probably not going to write anything to you (just list your name). If you wrote a long review with something for me to respond to (such as a question), then I'll write you something, got it?

Lady-Wicca666, Sir Mocha, Klyukaizer, Bakuras-Hell, PaladinDragon, Dilandau's Best Slayer, Shakespeare's Pizza, Sei Kou Ki, SilverWing147, Interlude, kuroi-sakurapetals, Carmen5-Nemrac

Enjeru – Where in Wisconsin are you? (as in northeast, central, southeast, etc.) I live in southeastern Wisconsin! About twenty minutes from Milwaukee! There hasn't been a tornado by me yet either… but they've been REALLY close this summer!

russle – Glad you agree with me! Yeah and the pleasure/pain thing always seemed too kinky for Ryou, ne? Lol.

Princess Kat – I actually don't know very much about safe places during tornados, seeing as I've never been through one. I just trust what they say on the weather channel! ::sweatdrop::

Snow-Shadow-Wolf – I actually have a bunch to reply to you on your last review… would you mind leaving your e-mail address? I just don't want to take up too much space here. Oh and I think I missed your name on the previous review list… sorry about that! Thanks very much for the reviews!!

Thank you everyone! These all made me happy! Don't worry if I didn't respond to your review (trust me, I really like doing them, and would love to if it didn't take up so much space.) The reason being, however, that I've stopped replying is because I don't like it when authors _seem_ like they have a long chapter but instead there is just a lot of author rambles at the end (such as replying to thank you's). So, as not to be rude, I stopped unless I had something significant to say. I apologize, really! **From now on, I will no longer have this long of author commentary.**

If any of you wish for me to talk and/or respond to your reviews (like I would VERY MUCH LOVE TO!), please leave me an e-mail or AIM handle so I can contact you. Many of you I would LOVE to talk to! So please don't be afraid of me! ::big, scary smile:: Mahahahaha! Just kidding.

Please review! Hope you liked it!

3 Suki No Hikari 3


	8. Connection

Disclaimer: I do not own Yuugiou. Yippee.

Author Comments: Yay! Thanks so much EVERYONE for the reviews! I CANNOT believe I received 3,400 hits! And only twenty of the thousands of you who read can review? :pouts:: But, thank you very much for the 21 (I think…) or so reviews! I'm almost to 100 =D

I'd also like to thank the **copper araibian** and **manga-nut** for their reviews on what REALLY happened in Bakura's past! I don't watch the series that much or anything so I don't really know u.u ::is ashamed:: I know, I'm horrible.

Author Ramblings About Upcoming Chapter: Yes, chapter eight… is it just me or are you guys sick of all the angst so far? Well, I am! So, of course… A CUTE FLUFFY CHAPTER! W00t! n.n Aren't you proud of me? Yes, contrary to popular belief, I _can_ write FLUFF! Warning: Marshmallows and s'mores ahead!

Author Excuses: Nothing. No excuse. Laziness, perhaps. But I just didn't get around to it until now. Sorry it's a tad bit late!

**Author Notice:** If you haven't noted by now, I have changed the chapter titles (via links) again! I decided to go back to the original titles merely because I realized my sentence wasn't going anywhere and didn't really make sense O.o;; Heh. So, yah, it's changed.

Key:

"Spoken words"

'Thinking'

Hikari to Yami

Yami to Hikari

Here's chapter eight!

#####

Title: Ai No Ejiki

(Victim of Love)

Author: Suki No Hikari

Rating: PG-13

#####

Recap:

_ Ryou tried to look in his yami's eyes, but was unsuccessful because of the fuzziness. Ryou sighed softly_. 'Bakura… I never knew… if you had only told me sooner… I could have helped you. I don't want you to be hurt anymore. I don't want you to think you are hated by me… I'm the only one you have left.'

Chapter Eight : Connection

Ryou started loosening the cap to his eye-drop bottle, preparing for his second dose of the day. The hikari had to admit, it had been hard trying to put these in your own eyes without the help of another person (namely Bakura in Ryou's case). After a few failed attempts, however, Ryou had gotten the hang of it and no longer needed help. He popped two sleeping pills in his mouth out of habit, swallowing them using his saliva. Only the did he realize that they were probably not even needed because he most likely wouldn't be in pain tonight. He shrugged, figuring it didn't really matter anyway.

Suddenly the grandfather clock broke the silence, revealing that it was already eight in the evening. It had been three hours since Bakura had exposed his past to Ryou and two hours since Ryou had come upstairs.

Ryou knew Bakura would probably go back to playing video games after he was done with his speech. Seriously, how long did you think he could go without them? So Ryou had ventured up to his bedroom to listen to music and think a little bit. A lot, really. But with all this thinking, Ryou had come up with only one thing: Bakura had seriously changed. Sure, he was the complete jackass he normally would be when speaking casually, but whenever he was being sincere, he'd take down his barriers. Ryou couldn't help but smile. _'He tore down those walls for _me._ Because he cares for _me.' Ryou couldn't lie to himself; he had missed having someone care for him.

"Hikari! Come here!" Bakura's voice shattered Ryou's thought process and the hikari suddenly felt his stomach growl. _'I should probably go eat dinner anyway.'_ Ryou thought to himself and responded to Bakura's request with a, "Coming!"

Ryou started his trek downstairs, the eye-drops clearing up his vision temporarily. They normally lasted for about ten minutes before his vision went slightly blurry again. At least Ryou's vision was coming to the point where it was like being far-sighted without glasses for seeing things close-up. As he turned into the kitchen, Ryou began smelling something… rather good, actually.

The hikari nearly gasped when he saw a full spread of recently cooked food on the dining room table in the next room. Bakura loomed over it all with an accomplished smirk on his face. Ryou's face broke into a bright smile and he nearly ran into the dining room.

"Bakura, did you make this?" Ryou questioned excitedly.

"No. It popped out of thin air. What do you think?" Bakura responded, his voice cold, but Ryou could tell there was laughter behind his words.

"Wow! I never knew you could cook!" Ryou was glad Bakura had surprised him with this, or else he might've never even let Bakura near the kitchen. The hikari was no less than amazed to have seen his kitchen still intact!

Bakura smirked. "You learn new things every day, eh hikari?"

Ryou laughed. "Yeah, I guess you can cook after all!" Bakura's face faltered a little bit, however, thinking back on the past couple hours. _'Well… I tried to cook. Good thing they showed that stupid cooking show or I would have to clean the kitchen again. Yeah, dinner was _supposed_ to be ready by six o'clock… but err… I burned everything… and had to clean it all up and start over… but lets not tell Ryou that…'_ Bakura thought to himself before smiling tenderly. It was small and barely noticeable, but it was there. _'I think it was worth it.'_

Ryou gazed over the food and finally decided to sit down. Bakura took a seat next to him, where he had placed his own food moments before. They ate in a comfortable silence for a few moments until Bakura heard his hikari drop his fork back onto the table. He looked over to the smaller teen, trying to figure out what the problem was.

"You don't like it? Is that the problem?" Bakura snapped, a bit harshly, but Ryou paid no heed. The white-haired teen kept staring out into space, leaving Bakura quite confused.

The awkward moment was broken by a timid voice. "Did… did you do this for me… Bakura? Did you make this for me?"

It was Bakura's turn to fall silent, lowering his gaze to his lap. He nodded, but then realized Ryou wasn't looking directly at him and probably hadn't seen the gesture. "Um… I guess…" Bakura cursed his voice for betraying him. Even though he let his hikari see his weak side already, Ryou wasn't about to see it too often anymore. As much as he _loved _his 'weak' side, note the sarcasm, he'd rather keep up appearances. Especially with people like the Pharaoh and Malik and his demonic yami lurking around in the twenty-first century.But, of course, his voice has to go and be pathetic. Peachy.

Bakura noticed Ryou facing him and snapped out of his daze. A shy smiled played across the hikari's features and Bakura blushed, starting to feel quite faint. _'Whoa… did I eat something bad?'_ Bakura thought to himself, wondering why the heck his stomach was doing somersaults.

"Thank you Bakura," Ryou admitted meekly and gently moved forward to wrap his arms around his yami's waist in a gentle embrace. He quickly moved away after a small squeeze and sat himself back in his chair. Bakura felt his face heat up and he let out a small grunt, his way of saying 'You're welcome,' before turning back to his own meal.

After they finished eating, Bakura decided to go back into the living room and play his video games. Ryou sat on the couch, feeling a familiar sense of tradition wash over him. _'Just like the old days… except it's night… and Bakura isn't hurting me.'_ Ryou couldn't help but smile. The hikari looked at the screen, trying to make out the figure Bakura was using as his character. Ryou recognized the figure and his grin grew, realizing how good his vision was becoming. _'If it keeps up like this, I might just need glasses… or if the eye prescription keeps working, I won't even need them at all_.' Ryou thought to himself, considering when he should go visit the doctor again.

A loud curse broke Ryou out of his trance and he noticed the unmistakable "Game Over" words flashing across the screen. Bakura nearly threw down the controller and muttered a couple more curses to himself. Apparently giving up (after only that long?), Bakura stood up and stretched before spinning around to face Ryou.

"I'm bored, hikari." Ryou nearly gasped. Bakura… bored with video games? Those words shouldn't even be put in a sentence together! Okay, maybe he was exaggerating that a bit, but still! Ryou couldn't help but think it was quite unusual.

"Well…" Ryou started. "What do you want to do?"

Bakura appeared in thought for a moment, his eyes gazing outside the window placed behind the couch. "I want to go outside," Bakura concluded finally and Ryou nodded slowly.

"Sounds good. Do you want me to come with you?" Ryou questioned, a bit shy. Bakura nodded slowly, knowing that Ryou could see him this time around. Ryou gathered himself off the couch and stared out the window for a moment at the purple and blue sky.

"It looks pretty nice out tonight. Too bad we missed the sunset, but we can look at the stars, right?" Ryou faced Bakura again, and the yami jumped because he had been staring at Ryou. The hikari didn't notice, however, and Bakura tried to compose himself.

"Whatever," Bakura muttered in a stoical tone and headed off to the front door. He opened it slowly and a cool breeze traveled in the room. The former tomb robber shut the door quickly before spinning and glaring at Ryou.

"Damnit! It's cold out there, hikari!" Ryou looked confused for a moment before stepping next to Bakura and opening the door for himself. He felt the same breeze wash over him, and Ryou smiled. Perfect temperature.

"I don't know what you're talking about Bakura, but I think it's just perfect out right now. I don't even think I'll need a jacket, it's so nice," Ryou stated calmly and began heading out the door. Bakura gazed at his hikari's back with an incredulous look. _'What the heck? It's freezing! Well, I'm getting a jacket.'_ Bakura thought to himself and quickly ran back inside to grab a sweatshirt and a summer jacket off the coat hanger. He promptly layered himself with the clothing before leaving and shutting the door behind him. Bakura noticed his hikari waiting for him on the sidewalk, and trotted out to stand next to him. Ryou watched his yami in disbelief.

"Why are you wearing all that?" Ryou questioned, surprised.

"Why?" Bakura repeated, an edge to his voice. "Because it's fucking cold! Egypt was so much warmer than this…" the yami trailed off and Ryou felt like slapping himself in the forehead. _'Of _course._ Bakura's not used to this kind of weather, even if it is the summer. He's used to the extreme heat of the desert so this must seem cold to him.'_ Ryou shook his head, smiling. _'Silly yami.'_

"Let's go, hikari." Bakura demanded in a calm tone and Ryou nodded, following his yami to… wait, where were they going?

"Bakura, where are you going anyway?" Ryou inquired to the yami's back.

Bakura continued walking, letting Ryou trail him. "To the place with the water." Ryou furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, trying to figure out what Bakura meant by "the place with the water." He shrugged it off, trusting that Bakura knew where he was going.

The two teens strolled in a relaxed silence for what seemed like only about ten minutes, but when Ryou checked his watch, it had already been twice as long. The hikari frowned, noting how much his feet were aching. Bakura had led him through many neighborhoods, taking shortcuts Ryou had never seen before. Most of the time Ryou drove on the streets but Bakura was cutting through people's yards so he couldn't recognize where they were.

Ryou had an urge to ask that annoying question when parents took kids on long car drives. The hikari felt himself not being able to resist. "Bakura…" Ryou began to whine softly. "Are we there yet?"

Bakura grunted and finally they came out of the previous house's thick yard, reaching a small street. Bakura crossed it, not minding the traffic, or lack of, and Ryou suddenly noticed where they were.

"You took me to the beach, Bakura? Wait… how did you even know where the beach was?" Bakura shrugged and Ryou frowned. The yami had been to the beach a couple times when Ryou hadn't been home, using his "sense of direction" to find it on previous "adventures." Basically, the yami had become lost trying to find the grocery store about a year back.

"Lets just say I have my ways, hikari." Ryou blinked, trying to understand his confusing yami but waved it off, deciding to enjoy the night. After a little bit more walking, Ryou started to feel soft sand beneath his shoes.

"Hang on, Bakura. I'm going to take off my shoes real quick," Ryou proclaimed and sat in the sand, prying his shoes and socks off his feet. Once they were off, the small teen plunged his toes into the slightly warm sand. Bakura, who had been wearing sandals, kicked them off with ease before removing his two extra layers of clothing.

"Aha! So you were getting overheated, weren't you?" Ryou teased and Bakura glared at him.

"The walking warmed me up, stupid," Bakura growled and Ryou smiled knowingly. "Don't do that hikari!"

"Do what?" Ryou questioned innocently, a teasing expression playing across his features.

"You know what! That… that stupid look!" Bakura 'humph'ed and spun around, proceeding to get closer to the water. Ryou laughed and shook his head before jumping up and jogging after him. Ryou watched as his yami plopped down on the sand near the water so the waves would occasionally roll over his bare feet. Ryou stopped a few feet away from his yami, noticing how the older teen's gaze had drifted to the night sky.

Ryou approached him slowly and took a seat next to him. "What are you thinking about?" He inquired softly, trying to keep the peace of the silent night. Bakura shrugged, keeping a firm stare on the stars. Ryou looked up as well for a brief moment, then turned his gaze back to the water. The hikari arose slowly, dusting the sand off his shorts and Bakura turned to him, wondering why he was leaving so soon. His questions were answered when Ryou strode into the shallow tide, the water coming up just below his knees.

Ryou sighed. "The water's warm…" Bakura caught the phrase, and, getting tired of watching the hushed night sky, started to get up. Ryou had his back to Bakura, seemingly caught in the moment and not aware of the yami creeping up behind him. Bakura tried to get a hold of his possessed body, really, he did! But…

Ryou gasped as two arms encircled his waist and brought his body back against a muscular chest. "Bakura… what are you-" Ryou stopped suddenly when he felt a pair of lips on his cheek for a fleeting moment. Flustered, Ryou jumped from Bakura's embrace, spinning around to face him. Well, that's what he tried to do. But since Ryou had to struggle against the arms holding him, his actions were too fast, thus landing him bottom-first in the water.

His eyes were still wide and facing Bakura, however, barely noticing how he was soaking wet waist-down. "B-Bakura! Why did you do that?" Ryou commanded, his face color rivaling that of an apple.

Bakura smirked at Ryou. "You were just too cute." The yami winked flirtatiously and extended a hand to his hikari. Ryou's blushed even more (if that was possible) and took the offered hand. Bakura brought the smaller teen to his feet, purposely pulling too hard making the flustered hikari stumble into his arms.

Ryou leaped back swiftly and sputtered out what sounded like apologies. Bakura's smirk grew wider when Ryou refused to meet his gaze.

"Hikari, you're wet," Bakura stated simply and grabbed Ryou's hand, dragging him out of the water.

Ryou pouted. "Well it's your fault!"

Bakura put on a look of mock-hurt. "Now, whatever did _I_ do to make you wet? I didn't _push_ you in the water, did I?"

Ryou glared at his yami. "You scared me half to death! And then… then you… you kissed me!"

"I suppose I should've done it while we were still on the sand then, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes! I mean… no! I mean…" Bakura raised an eyebrow in question. Ryou huffed but added in a shy tone, "Why did you kiss me anyway?"

Bakura shrugged nonchalantly. "I felt like it."

Ryou gaped at him. "So you think you can kiss me whenever you feel like it, then?" Ryou's question was answered when a soft pair of lips planted themselves on his own and Ryou felt his heart flutter. Bakura pulled away after a few moments, keeping the kiss chaste. A stunned silence followed and Ryou's eyes were the size of saucers.

"S-stop k-kissing me already! It's weird!" Ryou spewed out hastily while rubbing his lips as if they were cursed. Bakura felt like an anchor had dropped in the bottom of his stomach just from hearing those words. Ignoring the overwhelming sense of regret and disappointment, Bakura turned around, heading for their stuff. Ryou touched his lips when Bakura could no longer see him. _'What was he thinking… kissing me like that?'_ Ryou felt anger stir inside of him as well as a faint feeling prancing in the pit of his stomach. He pushed them away, however, and began to follow the sandy footsteps his yami had just previously made.

Bakura began picking up the summer jacket when he was interrupted by a sneeze behind him. He looked over his shoulder at a shivering Ryou who was tying his shoes back on. Apparently the breeze was very cold against his wet skin.

"Here hikari." Bakura removed the jacket from his own shoulders and placed it around Ryou's.

The white-haired teen smiled appreciatively and dusted the sand off himself as he stood. "Thank you Bakura. And…" Ryou lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. It just kind of surprised me… I didn't really know how to react."

Bakura placed his index finger under Ryou's chin, lifting it so their eyes could meet. Ryou noticed the affectionate smile that graced his yami's features and he felt himself going light-headed from the mere beauty of it. _'Bakura's smiling… and it's… warm…'_ Ryou had to keep from sighing out loud.

"Don't worry about it, Ryou." Bakura whispered, the sound of crashing waves carrying his words with them. Ryou felt his eyelids slipping shut and his vision going blurry. Was Bakura's smile really making him feel this faint? Ryou felt himself falling, his legs unable to hold him anymore. _'Why am I…?' _ Ryou wondered to himself but then it hit him.

Bakura caught his collapsing hikari under his armpits and lifted him back up onto his feet. Ryou rocked back and forth for a few moments before falling into Bakura, eyes closed. Bakura stared down at Ryou in slight shock. _'What's wrong with him?'_

As if Ryou had heard Bakura's thoughts, a small voice answered the question. "I really shouldn't have taken those sleeping pills…" Ryou murmured wearily. Bakura let out a small breath he didn't realize he was holding and lifted the small teen into his arms, making a sound at the sudden extra amount of weight. Slipping on his sandals, Bakura started away from the beach.

Within moments, Ryou's breathing evened out, indicating that sleep had taken over his small body. Bakura held the teen protectively in his arms and carried the sleeping Ryou all the way home, the hikari's warmth soothing his aching arms.

######

Awwwwwwwwww!! Wasn't that _so_ cute? ::sighs dreamily:: Well I hope I didn't make Bakura too OOC… well, this whole story basically puts him out of character… u.u Oh well, I think that this chapter turned out really well, don't you?

PLEASE TYPE IN THIS URL: w w w . .x a n g a . c o m / h o me . a s p x ?user=Suki (underscore) no (underscore) hikari (just remove the spaces in the first part of the URL and put the underscore in between the words of Suki No Hikari in order to get to the page. STUPID FF wouldn't let me put it in! .) THIS IS MY XANGA JOURNAL. IT CONTAINS ALL OF THE THANK YOU'S! From now on, my journal will serve this purpose. I found just putting it all on my journal would be a lot easier.

**Rules: Do NOT sign my guestbook. It's not that I don't like you or what you have to say, but I'd prefer to have you contact me through reviews and save the guestbook for my friends, etc. This is the same for leaving comments, e-props, etc. THANKS!**

I hope you liked chapter eight! Please tell me what you think by reviewing! I think I only have about three-ish more chapters to go!

3 Suki-chan 3


	9. Confession

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yuugiou.

Author Comments: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing!

Author Excuses: I had no time to even _breathe_ last week and weekend, let alone _think_ about writing. I woke up at six every morning and got home at ten, only an hour in the day of free time to myself… and that was for three 20-minute meals. And yes, this was all day Saturday and the first portion of Sunday as well. So, I was just a really busy bee. Sorry, but this time I couldn't help it.

Thank you's list (I've decided just to put it here -.-;): the copper araibian, Enjeru, Suuki (for both reviews), Lady-Wicca666, Interlude, Anime Crazed, Pork Steak the Grande, unknown, Misori Chan, pharohs-slave, Dark Wolf on a full Blood, Chaos Ritual, citcat-chan, Princess Kat, LeaMarie F. Rocket, SilverWing147, setonjounouchisgal, Ramen II, =Makura=, akiko-saulii, snow-shadow-wolf

In reply to some of the reviews – No, chapter eight **wasn't** the last chapter (obviously you can tell now) and YES I only have ten chapters planned out for this story as well as an epilogue. Sorry that there couldn't be more but I'm planning on a sequel… maybe ::shrug:: We'll see, ne?

**Note: **I'll try to drag this chapter out as long as I can, but I think no matter what happens, it'll be short because I want to get to the point. Not because I'm lazy or anything, I just want the chapter to be focused on the plot and what is supposed to happen.** __**

Check chapter eight for the key! On with the story!

#######

Title: Ai No Ejiki

Author: Suki No Hikari

Rating: PG-13

#######

Recap:

Within moments, Ryou's breathing evened out, indicating that sleep had taken over his small body. Bakura held the teen protectively in his arms and carried the sleeping Ryou all the way home, the hikari's warmth soothing his aching arms.

Chapter Nine : Confession

"Stop kissing me already! It's weird!"

"It's _weird!_"

"**_It's weird_**_…"_

Bakura felt like punching himself - maybe if he was knocked out he could actually get to sleep. Perhaps he should try some of Ryou's sleeping pills? _'It doesn't matter. Sleeping won't make the words go away… I'll just wake up and hear them again.'_

Once Bakura had arrived home, he tucked Ryou into bed and quickly left the hikari's room. Okay, maybe he had snuck in a kiss to the other white-haired teen's forehead, but then he left right away. So here he was now, lying on his bed, eyes planted on the simple ceiling and attempting to fish away Ryou's words from earlier that evening.

The yami growled, regretting everything done that evening. _'What was I thinking anyway? I should have never kissed him… especially when I don't like him like _that._ Or so I think… yes. I don't like him like that. What I'm feeling is just the care of an older brother, right?_' [1] Bakura attempted to convince himself, but it just wasn't working. Somehow, this feeling wasn't like the feeling he felt for Sagira – not the feeling of an older brother.

The yami cursed under his breath. _'I still _cannot_ believe I kissed him! Twice! I'm going slowly crazy. First, I go soft just because I was lonely, which never fazed me before I met my hikari. Then, last night I got these stupid feelings in my stomach… and then I'm kissing the boy! What the hell?!'_ Bakura swore again, a little more loudly. None of it made sense to him! _'And now Ryou hates me.'_

Bakura considered this last thought for a couple of minutes, breath caught in his chest. Letting a out a long breath, the yami closed his eyes and came to a conclusion. _'Guess I might as well figure out the twenty-first century now.'_

#!##!#!#! (AN: The arrows aren't working for some reason... the 'tab's aren't either... ?-?)

Two days later…

Ryou was confused. Thoroughly confused. Why, do you ask? One word: Bakura. The yami had been acting so strange the last two days.

First, he insisted on figuring out every appliance or electronic device in the house. Then, he demanded to know the use of a 'map' and how to read one. He learned every quick 30-second recipe for a meal as well as those a little bit tougher. He explored the basement, asking about the pipes and how each of the more complicated systems (water softener, fuse box, etc.) worked. He then proceeded to jump off the roof of the house.

… Okay, he really didn't do the last one but Ryou wouldn't be surprised if he did. The hikari had concluded his yami had officially gone nuts. _'I wonder if I should take him to a mental institute. Maybe they could fix him…'_ Ryou thought to himself, a strange covering his features. He was interrupted when a vacuum cleaner was shoved in his face.

"Yah!" Ryou proclaimed, startled at the offending object being held by a pensive-looking yami.

"Hikari, what's this?" Bakura asked for the thousandth time that day, beginning to roughly shake the vacuum up and down.

"Ah, yami! Don't do that, it'll break!" Ryou exclaimed, holding the vacuum steady. "This is a vacuum cleaner, it takes crumbs, dust, and other little hard to pick up things out of the carpet."

"Dust? Why don't you use that… frilly thing?" Bakura requested, eyebrows scrunching together.

"That's for dust on furniture or on windows or other places like that! It wouldn't work to clean dust in the carpeting!" Ryou explained, getting extremely tired of his yami's constant inquiries.

"Oh…" Bakura said softly before running off to find another thing to figure out.

Ryou noticed that Bakura hadn't ever been really demanding in his questions, except when Ryou ignored him (which was getting more frequent, the annoyed hikari noted). In actuality, the yami was being semi-cordial, very un-Bakura-like even with the new soft side he'd acquired whenever he wanted to protect Ryou. Or when he tells Ryou something serious. Basically, he's sentimental one in one hundred times, and only to Ryou. Otherwise, he's a complete jerk, like he _should've_ been today. Which doesn't explain his actions at all.

Ryou was confused. And to think! Bakura hadn't, not once, mentioned the night two days ago, and it's been nagging Ryou every moment of every day since then! Ryou wanted some answers. He stomped over to where Bakura was currently inspecting a Windex bottle.

"Yami! Can I talk to you for a moment?" Bakura looked up at Ryou, placing the bottle under the sink again. Standing up, he raised in eyebrow, gesturing the hikari to go ahead.

"Bakura, I know you've been avoiding this, but what happened that night at the beach? And why are you acting so strange lately? But most importantly, why did you kiss me?" Ryou demanded, placing a hand on his hip and having the urge to tap his foot as well.

Bakura's face fell at the question and his expression went stony. "Just forget it." It was a deep, emotionless voice. "It was a mistake."

Ryou huffed, not satisfied with the answer. "That's not good enough! I want an honest answer not something so… so…!"

Bakura cut him off. "I said just _forget about it_." Ryou's heart quickened at the tone of voice, a familiar sense of fear grabbing him. The only times he's ever heard his yami use that tone was during… the beatings.

Ryou ignored the fearful feeling, however, his stubbornness overpowering it. "But Bakura!" Ryou practically yelled, impatience and persistence etched in his words.

"Hikari…" Bakura warned in an even deeper voice.

Ryou shook his head. "I just want a freaking answer! Why the hell can't you-"

…

A small pale hand reached up to touch a cheek, where sharp indents from nails had started bleeding. A red, painful hand mark rested there. Ryou's eyes shone with an unearthed fear opposite of those of fury from his yami.

"I told you to just forget it." Bakura growled softly, hiding the regret in his voice. Ryou finally thought he could trust his yami again…

"I-I… I'm sorry…" Ryou whispered softly, tears stinging his eyes. "I just w-wanted to k-know…" Bakura stayed silent, watching his hikari fall innocent to Bakura's anger, showing the same fear he'd seen so many times before… throughout the nights of being beaten. Throughout Bakura's harsh words of accused weakness.

"Wh-why… I-I thought you had ch-changed…" Ryou stuttered in a soft voice, more to himself than to Bakura.

Bakura smirked, closing his eyes to hide his own pain and regret. "Old habits die hard, hikari. Live with it." Bakura forced out, knowing very well he didn't want to say that. He'd hit Ryou. **Ryou**. Who had finally trusted him. Ryou. Ryou. _Ryou._

And all of a sudden, for some reason, the feeling of indifference replaced that of regret. _'He already hated me… so he hates me more now. It doesn't matter anymore… he won't have to deal with me anymore._' With that last thought, Bakura strode out of the room, leaving his hikari to become infected with tears.

When the yami reached his room, the telephone rang almost instantly. Bakura glared at the phone, annoyed already with the noise. He had moved it in his room yesterday, figuring it might be best to learn how to use it. Ryou explained how the only people that called were solicitors and that Bakura should hang up immediately on someone if he didn't recognize the voice.

Bakura picked up the phone, and tried to fix it against his face the correct way. "What do you want?"

"Tomb robber." A calm, yet slightly angry voice said on the other end.

Bakura growled. "Pharaoh. What the hell do you want?"

"I saw what you did. I told you I'd see if you did anything." Yami said smoothly.

"What are you fucking watching everything I do? I don't want you looking in on my life!" Bakura snarled angrily, realizing that if Yami had been watching him, just the mere hit wasn't the only thing he's seen. _'Damnit, he'd better not have seen me…_' Bakura cringed. _'Go soft…' _

"Why'd you hit him?" Yami's voice broke through Bakura's thoughts.

"Why do you care?"

"Because you love him. Why would you even _dare_ touch him?" Yami growled, trying to keep his cool.

"I don't love that weakling!" Bakura said defensively, wondering how the hell Yami would even know that. _'But I don't love him! So Yami is wrong. I don't love him.'_

"Bakura, I planted an eye to follow your every movement. I can tell you love him."

"I don't… you did what?!" Bakura yelled, Yami's words finally clicking.

"I told you I was going to watch you and I never go back on my word. But that's not the point here! Why do you keep lying to yourself?"

"I don't love him. Yami, this is pointless! I'm hanging up."

"I told you not to touch him, Bakura," Yami interrupted, voice deathly severe.

"So? I did. You can't do anything about it."

"Hell, you know I can Bakura," Yami announced threateningly.

Bakura growled to himself, thinking of how to escape this. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway. I'm leaving him tonight so you won't have to worry about anything 'touching' him anymore, okay?" Bakura snarled, anger dripping from each word.

"You're doing what?!" Yami proclaimed incredulously.

"You heard me, damn Pharaoh. I'm leaving. I won't even be around to hit him anymore. He doesn't need me and he never did." At the last few words, Bakura felt a twisting sensation in his chest, knowing very well his own words had cut deep.

"Bakura…" Yami started.

"And don't even think about trying to talk me out of this. You know very well that he would be so much better off without his 'abusive yami'. You and your stupid hikari should be happy for him," Bakura snapped, feeling like the thin string holding him from hanging up was about to snap.

"Fine. Leave then. But I know you love him and he deserves to know as well. Don't hide it from him because that would hurt more than all the beatings you ever gave him. Let him know that he's loved, alright?" Yami demanded and he could hear Bakura growl.

"I don't love-"

"Do you feel a weird feeling in the bit of your stomach when you think about him? Do you have sudden urges to be overprotective and hold him in your arms? Your silence must mean that both are true, thus, two signs that show you are in love. Bakura you kissed him for a reason and it's not because you want to be his older brother," Yami explained knowingly a shocked silence following his words.

"How fucking much have you been watching me? Stay the hell out of my life!" Bakura yelled, ready to hang up.

"Just tell him, okay idiot tomb robber?" Yami's request was answered with silence for a few moments.

"Whatever." With that, Bakura hung up, causing Yami to smile in triumph. Yugi, who had been standing next to the taller teen, looked up with a confused appearance.

"So? What did he say?" Yugi asked impatiently.

"Bakura's going to tell him." Yugi raised an eyebrow in a disbelieving question, and Yami ruffled his hair playfully. The thought of Bakura's departure still nagged in the back of his mind, however. _'Ryou better figure out in time to stop him…'_

#!#!#!#!#!#!

Bakura packed the last pair of socks into his small bag before zipping it up. He really didn't know where he would go, but he had stolen enough money to find somewhere to stay until he figured it out. Not a real elaborate plan, but Bakura was never really elaborate in the first place.

Yami's words still rung in his head, unfortunately, and he couldn't concentrate very much on the task at hand. _'If he's right…'_ Bakura shuddered. _'… and I do love him, then how the hell would I tell him? It was much easier to say that I care for him… but telling him that I _love_ him?! What if he… wait… I'm leaving. It doesn't matter what his reaction is. Wait a second- what am I even thinking? I DON'T LOVE HIM! Gah!'_

Bakura put his hands through his hair, pulling some strands out from frustration. In the back of his mind a little voice was replying to his defiant thoughts and it was annoying the hell out of him. _'You want to… you want to love him…'_ it seemed to say. Bakura shook his head and the thought went away. He placed the bag over his back and began to trek downstairs.

Ryou had been reading a book on the couch when he heard someone coming down the stairs. Looking up he saw the yami who had been missing since that morning. He immediately turned his gaze back to his book, not seeing the small duffel bag at Bakura's side.

"Ryou, can I talk to you real quick?" Bakura asked, voice showing no emotion.

Without lifting his gaze, Ryou replied with a, "sure."

Bakura took a deep breath. "First of all, I… I apologize for this morning." Ryou kept reading, although he had read the same sentence about twenty times now and still didn't know what it said. "And, you asked why I was acting so strange with all my questions, right? Well, I told myself a while back that when I finally got used to the twenty-first century, I would leave."

As Bakura's words registered in the small hikari's brain, Ryou let out a tiny gasp. Ryou's head snapped up, shock written across his face, eyes attempting to hide the pain and worry coming to them. "But… I mean- you're not…" Ryou felt the words get caught in his throat. _'Why do I feel like this? I've been waiting for this my entire life, right?'_ He shut his eyes, holding back tears, and highlights of the past two weeks flashed behind closed lids. Ryou suddenly felt like he was going to throw up. _'I don't want him to go… I don't want to be alone…'_ Suddenly, a flash of the recent hit Bakura gave him appeared, and he felt his cheek stinging meaningfully. Ryou opened his eyes slowly.

"So, you're going to leave then?" Ryou requested softly, making his voice sound uninterested.

Bakura noticed how his hikari really didn't seem to care and nodded. "Yes. I am." Bakura announced, with finality. _'I can tell he doesn't need me. He doesn't care if I leave… he will be happier without me anyway. I just thought…'_ Bakura scowled. _'I've learned to never hope for anything. I couldn't expect him to stop me… why would he do that?'_ Bakura sighed deeply._ 'He doesn't need to know that I love him… I don't need to tell him now.'_

Bakura began to walk to the door and Ryou started to panic. _'I… I can't let him leave! Why did I pretend like I didn't care when I did? I do care! I do care… for you… Bakura…'_ Ryou face fell slightly at the thought as he jumped up from the couch, watching his yami open the door to leave.

"Wait Bakura!" Ryou yelled desperately. Bakura spun around to face Ryou, confusion on his face.__

"Wha-" Bakura started but he was cut off by a pair of small arms around his waist. Ryou's arms. Ryou's arms hugging him. "Ryou…" Bakura mumbled.

"Don't go, Bakura… please…" Ryou begged and Bakura could feel himself soften.

"It's weird!"

"It's weird!"

_"It's weird!"_

_ "**It's weird!**_"

Bakura tried to block out the returning phrases, convincing him that Ryou didn't really care if he left or not. He tried, but the words had cut him too deep for him to push them away.

"I can't. I have to go, Ryou. But…"

Ryou looked up, as Bakura gently pulled the small arms from his waist. "But… what?"

"I want to tell you that…" Bakura paused, gathering the last bit of courage he had. "That… I-I love you, Ryou… and not as an older brother. I fell in love with you." Ryou's eyes went large but Bakura kept going, no longer caring how he should or shouldn't act [2]. "…and… even though I'm leaving… I will never forget you, alright?"

Ryou, shocked from Bakura's words, couldn't muster enough strength to say anything. "I-I…" Ryou started but was cut off as Bakura kissed his forehead gently.

"Goodbye… Ryou." Bakura told him with the most sincerity in his voice that Ryou had ever heard. With that, he shut the door behind him and went out into the dark night.

Ryou stood stunned, unable to comprehend anything that was going on. Everything was happening so fast… and now… Bakura was gone. _'Bakura…'_ Ryou felt a tear slip down his left cheek, where the hand mark from earlier had slowly faded away. _'Bakura…'_ Ryou fell to his knees.

"Bakura… Bakura… Bakura! NO! BAKURA!" Ryou yelled to the ceiling, his words carrying nothing less than anguish. His words were in vain, however. Bakura couldn't hear him. Bakura was gone… forever.

#######

[1] Even though Bakura said he 'cared' for Ryou, it wasn't love. Or so _he_ thought so. He thought it only to be brotherly love, something he had wanted to feel ever since he lost his sister. Does that make sense?

[2] I meant this in a sense where Bakura didn't care that he was 'supposed' to be a heartless jackass. He just wanted to be himself, and not the jerky part of his self. The Bakura from 5000 years ago, the Bakura he _once_ was. Get it?

Author Comments: Sorry to leave you hanging like that! But hey, chapter ten will be the BEST YET! I guarantee it! Heh, Yami's so smart, ne? Well, I had finished this chapter early this morning but my login wasn't working all day (until JUST now) and so I couldn't actually post this. None of my 'tabs' had been working either for some strange reason ::shrug:: but it's not that bad. Could be worse, ne? Well, that's all!

Please review!

3 Suki No Hikari 3


	10. Conclusion

Disclaimer: I do not own Yuugiou.

Author Comments: Thank you to those of you who reviewed! I don't want to sound really bothered by this but I was actually pretty disappointed with the amount of reviews I got… I had a good 150 hits for chapter nine but only 12 reviews. Normally by this time, I'd have double that amount. I mean, last chapter I had 21 reviews (for that chapter) and this one… just twelve. But, see! I didn't let it bring me down! =D

Thank You: Dark Magic 856, Misori Chan, kuroi-sakurapetals, Anime Crazed, Ramen II, snow-shadow-wolf, Lady-Wicca666, SilverWing147, FallenStarAngel, WeakendSoul, Suuki, citcat-chan

My list got so small… T-T

Key:

(NOTE: No longer will I be using the Yami to Hikari and vise versa mind link because Yugi and Yami aren't in this chapter and Bakura & Ryou don't use it. Also, the arrows no longer work … jeez, as if hadn't banned enough things already!! GRR!)

"Spoken words"

'Thinking'  
  
:: Song Lyrics :: (Some may be italized, some may not...)

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **I'm using a song (to be sort of like a song-chapter) throughout the first half of this because it was the inspiration used for me to write this chapter and helped me get it out so fast. The song is called "10,000 Miles" by Mary Chapin Charpenter and is used in the movie Fly Away Home. Neither I own!! DON'T SUE ME!****

On with **THE FINAL CHAPTER!**

#########

Title: Ai No Ejiki

(Victim of Love)

Author: Suki No Hikari

Rating: PG-13

##########

Recap:

_Ryou stood stunned, unable to comprehend anything that was going on. Everything was happening so fast… and now… Bakura was gone. _'Bakura…'_ Ryou felt a tear slip down his left cheek, where the hand mark from earlier had slowly faded away. _'Bakura…'_ Ryou fell to his knees._

_"Bakura… Bakura… Bakura! NO! BAKURA!" Ryou yelled to the ceiling, his words carrying nothing less than anguish. His words were in vain, however. Bakura couldn't hear him. Bakura was gone… forever._

Chapter Ten : Conclusion

_::Fare thee well…::_

"Please… come back… Bakura…" Ryou mumbled for the third time that night. He had been sitting on the floor for what seemed like hours but in reality were only minutes. The distraught hikari looked to the floor, running his thumb over a smooth tile, watching as tears dropped near his fingers.

_::… my own true love…::_

_'I have to go find him…'_ Ryou thought to himself. _'But… what can I say… what can I do to get him to come back? He told me he loves me… but…'_ Ryou felt a wave of loneliness and betrayal wash over him. _'But… do I love him?'_ The thought made Ryou feel queasy, in what way, he had yet to figure out.

_::Farewell for awhile…::_

Minutes passed by, leaving Ryou to his thoughts. Once he came to a decision about what he was going to say to Bakura once the he could find him, Ryou stood up. The teen opened the front door and came face to face with a dark, rainy night. _'Oh no! Bakura's going to get soaked… he didn't bring an umbrella…_'__

Ryou quickly snatched an umbrella from the pail next to him and stepped out into the rain, opening his umbrella on the way out. The rain wasn't pouring, nor was it drizzling either, Ryou noted. The white-haired teen sighed and tried to guess where his yami had gone.

_::…I'm going away...::_

#!#!#!#!#!#!

After searching for what seemed like hours (and probably was), Ryou started to give up. He continued his trek homebound, deciding to take the shortcut through the city park. The rain hadn't ceased and by now the bottom of Ryou's pants had become soaked from walking in puddles. Ryou came upon a bridge that was situated over a small river, known for catching good fish.

::…but I'll be back…::

The hikari nearly gasped when he saw a familiar albino teen leaning over the railing, gazing peacefully down into the water below. _'Bakura…'_ The said teen was soaked but it seemed as if he hadn't even been aware of it. Ryou noticed him shiver – he was only wearing a t-shirt. _'He'll get sick!'_ Ryou thought worriedly, finally noticing he had been standing in the same spot for more than thirty seconds already.

_::… though I go ten thousand miles…::_

"Bakura!" Ryou shouted to him, taking a few steps forward. The yami spun around to the source of the voice, tensing when he saw his lone hikari.

"Ryou…" Bakura whispered softly, feeling a familiar flutter in his heart.

"Please come home Bakura!" Ryou yelled again, not moving from the spot he had situated himself, at the bridge's threshold.

_:: … ten thousand miles…::_

Bakura stood stunned, astonished that his hikari had even come looking for him. When he finally absorbed Ryou's words, he felt his mind fall into an internal battle – should he go with his angel or not? Bakura could not control the storm of words that had suddenly plagued his mind.

_"It's weird!"_

_"Wait Bakura!"_

_"It's weird!"_

_"Don't go… please!!"_

_"I thought I could trust you…"_

_"Please come home!"  
_

_"I'm sorry... I just wanted to know..."  
_

_"Bakura, please!"  
_

_"I thought you had changed…"_

_"I thought you had **changed**…"_

**_SLAP!_**

_"**I thought you had changed**…"_

Bakura squeezed his eyes shut feeling the threat of tears, refusing to let himself cry again. He couldn't go home! He just couldn't! _'What if I get angry again? What if for some reason… I make another mistake…'_ A flashback of the morning played behind closed lids once again. _'I don't want to endanger Ryou – I don't want to hurt him! I can't trust myself… I can't go home. Maybe I'll come back someday… just to see him again. But not now…I _can't_ go home.'_

_::… my own true love…::_

"I have to Ryou… you can't trust me…" Bakura spoke aloud, at a normal conversation voice. Ryou may have heard him, but he doubted it. Bakura turned away from his angel and began to walk away, knowing he could no longer stay where he was.__

Ryou watched as his yami slowly began to escape from him again. Falling to his knees, the hikari felt recognizable tears finding their way out of his eyes once again. _'You can't let him go again! Don't let him go!'_ Ryou's mind and heart both screamed. The small teen pounded his fists against the wet ground, umbrella forgotten some feet away, not wanting Bakura to leave.

_:: ...ten thousand miles or more…::_

"No… no… I… I love him… Bakura… no…" Ryou sobbed, not able to control himself anymore. "Bakura… I love you…" Ryou mumbled to himself, his cheeks streaked with tears. Realizing that he would never forgive himself if he let his yami leave now, Ryou flattened out his hands on the ground, gesturing that he wasn't about to give up.

_::… the rocks may melt…::_

"Bakura…" Ryou whispered. "Bakura… DON'T GO BAKURA!" Ryou yelled at the top of his lungs, jumping up from his position on the ground. The yami stopped dead in his tracks at those three words filled with so much emotion. Ryou ran over to Bakura's location, but the taller teen's back was facing him.

_::… and seas may burn…::_

"Bakura…" The yami rotated his body so that he was now facing his tear-ridden hikari. All of a sudden, Bakura felt the need to hold him in his arms and comfort him. But he couldn't.

Ryou wiped the tears from his cheeks quickly. "You may not believe me when I say this… heck, I barely believe it myself. But when you left, I couldn't bear it… I couldn't bear the sudden pain and loneliness I felt… I just couldn't let you go!" Ryou cried, trying desperately to get his words out. "Remember when I said I hated you for all that you did? That I could never forgive you?"

Bakura flinched visibly at his words, not wanting to hear the rest of them. _'I know you can't forgive me Ryou… stop holding me back… let me leave, you don't need me!'_ The yami turned and tried to escape once more. He was stopped, however, when a pale hand took hold of his wrist tightly.__

_::… if I should not return. ::  
_

"Wait… please! Even though I said that, Bakura… even though I told you all those harsh things… I take them back now. I forgive you Bakura! Don't you understand?" Ryou told the yami pleadingly and pulled his wrist hard enough to make Bakura turn around once again. "Please say something…" Ryou whispered, eyes diverted to the ground.

::Oh don't you see…::

"I can't stay, Ryou. I… what if I do something? Don't forgive me, Ryou… I don't deserve it. Don't feel bad for me… don't forgive me if you don't mean it…" Bakura murmured, but Ryou caught the words.

_::… that lonesome dove sitting on an ivy tree…::_

"But I _do_ mean it! Bakura! You told me… I'm the only one you have left… and…" Ryou's voice cracked slightly as he tried to calm the amount of sentiment he was putting in his words. "And… you're the only one _I_ have left. Please… just don't leave me… don't leave me alone…"

_::She's weeping…for her own true love…::_

Bakura shook his head. "What if I accidentally hit you again? What if… I can't control myself? You can't trust me, Ryou! I don't want you hurt by my hands anymore!" Bakura yelled, attempting to sway his hikari to just leave him be.__

"I don't care!" Ryou screamed in agony. "I _love_ you!" Bakura's eyes went wide - Ryou loved him? When did that happen? His thoughts were cut off by a pleading voice. "Bakura, I'm not lying! I **_love_** you! I'd risk anything to be with you!"

_::As I shall weep for mine…::_

"You d- I mean… what?" Bakura questioned, disbelieving what he had just heard.

::Oh come ye back…::

Ryou quickly took a step forward, leaving their bodies inches apart. The hikari immediately pressed his lips to Bakura's, eyes closed in determination.

_::…my own true love.::_

Bakura nearly gasped. Ryou. Was. _Kissing._ Him. He didn't have time to respond as Ryou broke off, his expression unwavering.

::And stay awhile with me…::

"Do you believe me now?" Ryou demanded, as if he had known Bakura's doubts. Bakura's mind suddenly filled with 'what if' questions, racing a mile a minute. '_Oh just screw it._' Without replying, Bakura lowered himself to brush his lips against his hikari's for a second kiss. A kiss that held longing and love. This time, Ryou was ready and he wrapped his arms around the yami's neck.

::If I had a friend on all this earth…::

The two teens didn't notice the rain pouring down upon them. They were standing on a bridge in the middle of the park while it was raining buckets. But neither cared, comforted by knowing that all the sorrow that had once been… was no longer.

_::You've been a friend to me.::_

#!#!#!#!#!

Ryou giggled as he put on a nice, warm, _dry_ sweater. Well, he couldn't help it. No, not the sweater! The giggling. He was practically that giddy little schoolgirl you always see on television – the one that was terribly and helplessly in love. Strange how things happen, don't you think?

Ryou bounced down the stairs, looking upon the sleeping Bakura on the couch. The hikari smiled softly at the image. After the little tête-à-tête at the park, the two teens realized they were freezing cold and ran home to escape the torrential flood attacking their heads. Bakura immediately sprinted upstairs, changing into warm (really warm) clothing. Ryou, in the meantime, made a fire, for he wasn't nearly as wet or cold as Bakura. He also figured the yami would want something to warm himself up with.

So there the said yami was, sleeping peacefully in the dim-lit room, the fire the only light illuminating the room. Ryou walked near the couch, falling to his knees and resting his head just inches from Bakura's on the sofa. Ryou stared at the serene teen, smiling brightly when he heard his own name seep out of Bakura's mouth. A little finger trailed its way into the thick, white hair inches away from him, careful not to disturb the former tomb robber. The curious finger proceeded to twirl a strand gently, resting it on the side of the unsuspecting face. The finger even dared to slip down the right cheek, tracing and memorizing.

Bakura creaked an eye open, having already been awake for some time. The yami muttered a quick "boo" and Ryou flushed, knowing he had gotten caught red-handed.

"Jeez, you could've told me you were awake," Ryou whined softly and Bakura smirked.

"And miss seeing you red as a tomato when I caught you? Nah, I'll take any chance I can get," Bakura whispered smoothly, trying to keep the peaceful effect of the room. Ryou blushed again and lifted his head from the couch, still in a kneeling position.

"Hey Ryou?" Bakura questioned softly. Ryou titled his head to the side cutely and Bakura had to hide the smile reaching his lips. "How come… how come you came after me? And… how come randomly, out of the blue you love me? I thought you hated my guts. I guess I could see where you wouldn't want me to leave so you wouldn't be alone… but… you said you love me? Is that really true? Or is this pity?" Bakura requested, his voice betraying his doubt and slight sadness.

Ryou placed his hand over his heart and made a overdramatic 'uh!' sound, humorously showing mock-hurt. "You don't want me to love you then? Well, fine! I won't!" The hikari began to get up but he felt the predicted hand pull him back down. Ryou smirked. "That's what I thought."

Bakura bent forward and ran his lips over his hikari's quickly. Ryou's smirk fell, still getting used to this new sensation of getting kissed. The edges of Bakura's lips curled up slowly. "No, Ryou. Trust me, I want your love."

Ryou smiled sincerely before quickly pondering Bakura's question. "Okay, well, get ready for a lecture," the hikari joked softly.

Bakura nodded. "Just get on with it, weakling!" The yami demanded harshly and immediately regretted it.

Ryou frowned at Bakura's reply. "Bakura…" came a threatening voice.

Bakura smirked, trying to brush the cold words off as a joke. "Come on, what do you expect? I can't be all lovey-dovey _all_ the time. I'm supposed to be the cruel, heartless tomb robber, remember? Don't mess up my image!"

Ryou giggled at the yami's humorous tone. "Alright, alright." Ryou poked Bakura's chest tenderly. "As long as there's a heart there somewhere for me. I _know_ you're not completely heartless."

Bakura shrugged. "Yeah, well, it stays hidden. Come on now! Tell me what changed from hate to love so quickly!" The impatient yami demanded again.

"Bakura, patience is a virtue." Bakura gave him a clueless look. "Oh nevermind. Okay, so..." Ryou took in a deep breath, starting his story. "Well, at first, when you left, I felt this huge attack of pain in my chest. It hurt so bad, I could hardly breathe. That's when I realized that I didn't want you out of my life."

Bakura frowned. "Still… that doesn't make you love me…" He whispered doubtfully, wondering if Ryou's love was even authentic now. Ryou shot Bakura a look that said 'Excuse me! I'm not done yet!' Bakura lifted his hands in defeat. "Neh, don't get your boxers tied in a knot, jeez. Continue then."

Ryou raised an eyebrow at the 'boxers' remark but waved it off. "So, like I was saying. I stayed on the ground for a few minutes, wondering why the heck I would care so much. Sure, I felt lonely. But not to the extent where…" Ryou paused. "… how do I make this sound right? Well, lets just say that if I had just let you go, I think I would have been so upset that I might've resorted to something dangerous in the future. That's how bad it was. That's how badly my heart ached the minute I saw you step out the door."

Bakura looked at him oddly. "So basically your saying you would've committed suicide or something without me? What does that have to do with love?"

Ryou huffed, getting mad at the interruptions. "Well, suicide is a pretty strong word, Bakura. But yes, something like that, just not nearly as extreme. And hang on, I'm getting to the love part, okay?" Bakura nodded and promptly shut up. "Again, like I was saying. It took me a while to finally figure out that all this pain was being caused because I cared for you so much. I think I never knew it until I was face to face with something so… so… testing. It tested what I really felt for you Bakura. Then I finally understood. I was blinded by my own hatred to actually realize that deep down, even though my mind hated you, my heart cared for what you did to make up for it."

"When you told me that story about Egypt, when you protected me from the storm, when you cried in order to make me see how much you hated yourself, when you were there _for me_. Each and every time I loved you even more. Even before the storm, when you held my hand. When I could finally feel all my trust put in your arms… and you didn't let it go. You didn't let me down even when I couldn't see." Ryou sighed happily.

"It took me so long to realize… but I loved you all along. I loved you from the minute you showed me yourself. Of course I didn't love you during the years of the beatings… but… lets just say, I think becoming blind was the best thing that ever happened to me." Ryou stopped, a broad smile on his face and Bakura couldn't help from smiling like an idiot as well.

"And so, I knew the minute I stepped outside tonight to fetch you, that you needed to know what I had been denying the entire time. I love you Bakura. I hope you believe me now," [1] Ryou finished, feeling a ton of weight lifted from his shoulders.

Bakura smirked. "Nah. I still think you're lying." Ryou immediately looked incredulous. After a few moments, he caught the joke and punched Bakura in his upper arm.

"Hey! What was that for?" Bakura demanded, anger dissolved within the teasing of his tone.

Ryou stuck his tongue out. "For being a jerk." Bakura stuck out his bottom lip, frowning. Ryou giggled. "But a really sexy jerk." With that, the bold hikari leaned down for yet another brushing of the lips. Needless to say, the two saw a few sparks of lightening. And no, it wasn't from a thunderstorm.

Ryou broke away, panting slightly, a cute smile decorating his features. "I don't think I'll ever get sick of that feeling." Bakura sighed contently in agreement. "I love you…" Ryou whispered, barely audible as he started to feel the need for sleep wash over him.

Bakura smirked. "Ditto."

Ryou snapped out of his daze slightly. "Ditto? Why couldn't you just say –"

"Sorry, I'm only allowed to say it once in my lifetime," Bakura replied, smirk growing wider.

"Neh…" Ryou whispered irritably, eyelids closing slowly. "I don't like 'ditto'."

Bakura leaned in towards the hikari's ear. "Would you get used to it for me?"

Ryou shivered as the breath tickled his earlobe. The practically asleep hikari gently pulled himself up to the couch, forcing Bakura to scoot over.

The said yami made a "Hm?" sound, expecting an answer.

"Maybe… if you're lucky…" Ryou murmured through an exhaled breath. Realizing the smaller teen was virtually knocked-out, Bakura wrapped his arms around Ryou's waist protectively, and the hikari gratefully accepted the cuddle. Within minutes, the small one drifted off into a dream-filled sleep of an unenthusiastic, but certainly very attractive, tomb robber.

The warmth of the fire soon died down but the two teens didn't need it anymore, as they were perfectly warm the way they were. Ryou's even breathing eventually began to soothe Bakura and the other teen couldn't help starting to succumb to fatigue.

Bakura smiled gently, closing his eyelids. "Good night, my Ryou." With that, the yami also fell into a _very_ peaceful sleep. A sleep filled with dreams of angel wings and angel kisses… each from the same one Bakura held in his arms.

And so, when the morning broke the night, it marked the start of many new beginnings. For with every end, comes a bright new beginning.

Osuwari.

#####

[1] Seriously now, do you think I would let Ryou love Bakura without telling you readers why the hell he loves him?? I would've gagged at the artifical-ness otherwise! Now you realize what Ryou was thinking on the ground those few minutes... muahahahaha! I FEEL ACCOMPLISHED.

Liked it? Or not? Fluff levels increased by 100% on this chapter =D

Question : Epilogue or no? **Do you want a sequel?**

If you **do** want a sequel, this is what the plot would be like: (yes I've already come up with one)

After five years strong with Ryou, Bakura is brought bad news from Yami. Bakura has to go back into his millennium item, no choice about it. Ryou is now faced with the decision to stay in his own world or follow Bakura into the Ring for another five thousand years. Unfortunately, if Ryou decides to go with his yami, he has to pay terrible price : his memory. BR Shounen-ai (well duh.)

NOTE: Very AU-ish (but not actually AU) because of occasional incorrect facts (Bakura's past, what the millennium ring would look like inside, etc.).

Now I just have to figure out how to get that in a summary… O.o

So please give feedback. **I desperately need to know your opinion.** Thanks!

Otherwise, if you don't want a sequel, I will promptly call all the plot bunnies to cook up something brand new and Bakura/Ryou-ish! That, or I also have a Seto/Jou-er in mind =D

Did you like my story? Please tell me! There will most likely be an epilogue, don't worry. But if you don't want one, **I NEED FEEDBACK.** Now more than ever! Please all you readers, TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT.

**NOTE TO Suuki: **This chapter was written _before_ I received your review, so I didn't steal your idea. Just so that you know ::sweatdrop:: I had this planned out a while ago... so yeah n.n;;;

Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me thus far! I love you guys!

…::: Suki-chan :::…

FEEDBACK IS GREATLY NEEDED. (AKA REVIEW!!!!)


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